Because of the Telepath
by sunshine2006578
Summary: When Max is captured by evil scientists, and the flock is thrown into Fang's hands, Angel thinks she's found the girl that could save them all-including the girl.What they don't realize is normal isn't always what it seems... IggyxOC FAX!
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I am not a rich, Maximum Ride owning middle aged man. If only…. **

**Prologue**

**Fang's POV**

Max was gone.

We didn't know where.

We didn't even know who'd taken her, though we had a few hunches.

There wasn't even a sign of a fight. Just several footprints leading in all directions. To confuse us, probably.

Congrats, bad guy of the day . It was working.

Nudge and Angel were sitting against the trunk of a tree, bawling their eyes out over max's backpack. Iggy and Gasman sat by the remaining ashes of our campfire, murmuring to each other.

And I….

Well, I was now temporary leader. Tons of emphasis on temporary. Because we _would_ get Max back. We would. The flock couldn't live without her.

_I_ couldn't live without her.

**Sorry it's so short, but it **_**is**_** only the prologue. Reviews will be awarded with free Fang hugs!!! **


	2. Meeting pt 1

**Sorry, Jimmy P, but I'm not putting a disclaimer on every chapter. Everyone knows that everyone else isn't you. So deal. **

**Angel's POV**

We were in a _mall_. And Max had been missing for a week now. Don't get me wrong, I loved shopping. I even loved how the thoughts of random people just swirled through my own head. I loved how Nudge helped me pick the cutest outfits.

But Max was gone for crying out loud!

I mean, sure, I had given her a rough time lately. What with suggesting I be flock leader and going swimming when she told me not to and all.

And I felt guilty. I really did.

I was just so curious. I wanted to know what I could do, and what it felt like to be older. And pretty, too, like Max. Which is why I was always insisting I was seven.

My throat constricted. I should've at least been nicer about it.

_Rip, burn, tear, beat, destroy, ANNIHILATE_, Fang was thinking of all the things he wanted to do to whoever had Max, relevant or not.

I sighed. That's all he thought about nowadays.

_Oooh, Hot Topic! Lovethat store. Look! Cute guy, ooh, and cute shoes!_ Nudge's mind squealed. I sighed. She would focus on whatever drew her attention for the longest amount of time she could; anything to keep her from thinking of Max.

_I wonder what all the girls here look like. Blondes, brunettes, black hair…hey, maybe even red or purple. I'm not picky._ Iggy had gone totally sexist lately.

Oi.

_I miss Max. we're hopeless without her. We can't even find our way around the mall._ Gassy thought morosely.

_I miss her too_, I projected the thought to my older brother.

He scowled at me and slammed down mental blocks, something the whole flock had been learning to do. They were weak, and I could've broke right through, but I didn't want to be rude. But it wasn't like I could help it! How would he feel, after all, if everyone hated his power?

Oh…wait…

"Christian, you're such a sexist pig! Put your eyes back in your head!" I jumped and so did the rest of the flock. That sounded exactly like Max!

Tentatively, I prodded the thoughts of the person the voice had come from. Then I smiled smugly to myself. This was the person who would save us.

**Short again. I know, I'm a failure. But reviews would encourage me to submit longer chapters….*wink wink***

**Note: The main character in this is NOT Max. Sorry, but it's the OC, who is introduced in the next chapter. But keep reading! Max is still a key part of this. So much of a key, she's ****almost the co-main-character. **


	3. Meeting pt 2

Okay, here's Meeting pt 2!!!! This is from the OC/Main C Mack's POV. Try not to be too critical. She rocks here in the next few chapters.

Mack's POV

**Why?! Why was I cursed with such a pathetic brother? Did he **_**have**_** to catcall every female that walked by?**

**I sighed, trying to keep an open mind.**

**I mean, I **_**liked**_** it when other sexist pigs catcalled me. Not that I'd been getting any today. I looked like crap and knew it. It was killing me, of course, but even better, it was killing **_**her**_**. Since my dad's big promotion, I had to look my best wherever we went. **

**Anger and…something else I couldn't really name rushed through my veins.**

**I was lucky; one of the rare blessings bestowed upon me was the ability to act well. **

**So when my five year old sister ran up in a tie -dyed tutu, I laughed happily. So did Christian, AKA the sexist pig. At seventeen, he was HUGE. Six feet at least. I mean, I was tall too- 5 10. But Christian was built, on top of his tallness. **

**So when he picked Elina up and swung her around, he made it look easy.**

"**How come you never do that with me?" Gabe grumbled, coming up dressed in a solid black tee shirt and a spiky dog collar. **

**Oh Hades no. **

"**Absolutely not, Gabe." I said sternly. Bringing them to Hot Topic had been a bad idea. **

"**Awe, why not? Elina gets that tutu." He whined.**

**I ruffled his brown hair fondly. "Because you're much more handsome the way you are."**

**He snorted. "Nice try. But I'll take it off."**

_**Come on. Forty minutes more, tops.**_** I persuaded myself. **_**You can do this.**_

**A sudden flash of movement caught my eye.**

**A little blonde, curly headed girl with beautiful blue eyes was tugging on the hem of a tall, dark boy.**

**He was as tall, if not an inch or so taller, than Christian, but looked young. His hair fell to his eyes, black like his clothes. **

**I quickly glanced away. Generally, he was my type. He **_**was**_** gorgeous. But some deep part of me screamed, **_**NO! WRONG!**_

**I listened to it, and paid for Elina's tutu. After towing my three siblings out of the store, I couldn't help but sneak another glance. **

**Goth Boy and Cute Kid were with three others. The first one I noticed was an equally tall, pale-as -snow, blonde boy with sightless blue eyes. **

**I gasped. He was blind?! But he navigated the mall perfectly…**

**I watched as he grinned at something an African American girl said. Her bushy, tangly hair was tied up carefully. My heart fluttered in my chest at the blind one's grin.**

**I told myself it was endearing pity. That's all. **

**A boy standing beside Cocoa Girl and Blind Guy was about eight-ish; a few years younger than Gabe. He was blonde too, and looked remarkably like Cute Girl. I dubbed him Cute Boy. **

**The whole group was very scraggly; caked in mud and dirt. Leaves clung to their windswept looking hair. That was odd; there hadn't been a breeze all day. I felt my usually well-behaved eyes go wide as I scanned other stains. Was that **_**blood**_**?!**

"**Um, Christian, you take Gabe and Elina on to the food court. I'll meet you there later." I said, placing Elina's hand in Christian's. He looked at me knowingly. **

"**Victoria's Secret?" He asked. Gabe made a face as I nodded. **

**But really I just wanted to see what the kids wanted. They'd been following us I could tell. Staring, scanning me, just as I had them. My half-siblings disappeared in the throng of people. **

**I leaned against a wall, continuing to watch the odd group. Cute Kid's eyes lit up when she saw I was alone and skipped right over. I glanced down at her with a carefully board expression. **

"**Hello." She chirruped, smiling up at me charmingly. Goth Boy was approaching fast, trailed by the rest of them. When he reached her, he grabbed her arm forcefully and said something too low for me to hear. She looked at him apologetically before turning back to study me. **

"**Yo." Goth Boy greeted. I could tell he didn't want to be talking to anyone, especially me. I did a quick 360 scan. No, **_**they**_** weren't anywhere around. And I could still see the glowing red EXIT sign. If this was a trap set up by the occupation Christian and I both excelled in, I could escape. **

**I took a deep, calming breath. I was such a paranoid freak. **

**Cute Kid frowned. **

"**His name is Fang, not Goth Boy. And I'm Angel, not Cute Kid." She grinned sweetly up at me. **

**I stared down at her. Inside, I was shocked, and more than a little confused. On the outside, however, I put on an amused expression.**

"**I like your names. They're very unique." I grinned at her, too. And I wasn't even lying. I **_**loved**_** their names. **

**By now, the rest of the group was here, watching with curious eyes. **

**Well, besides Blind Boy. **

"**I'm glad you **_**love**_** our names." Angel's voice was full of teasing happiness. I couldn't help it this time; my eyes widened a fraction. Could this kid read minds?!**

"**Yes, I can." She giggled. Goth-I mean, Fang practically snarled at her in warning, then did a 360 himself. **

**How odd…**

**My breath hitched and my mind raced. She was what? Six? Seven? Amazing. Adorable too. But what did she want with me? **

"**Angel, we don't know her." Fang muttered, glancing around again. I frowned. This guy was more paranoid than me. **

**Angel rolled her eyes. **_**You haven't seen paranoid yet**_**, said a voice-hers?!- in my head. **

**So she was telepathic. Nice. **

**Blind Guy came up behind Fang, cute Boy and Cocoa Girl in tow. They were all tall, I noticed. And super-model skinny. Like myself. They all wore a backpack, except Fang, who shouldered two. **

**I frowned. Were they missing someone then?**

**Angel smiled sadly. "You're quick to catch on. Yes, we are missing someone. Our leader, actually."**

**Blind Guy snorted as I was still processing that. "Way to be subtle, Angel."**

"**She can help! I know she can Iggy!" Angel's eyes filled with desperate tears and I felt my heart melt. Of course I would help. **

**Angel turned to beam at me,, eyes still watery. "You're sweet…um…"**

"**Mack." I supplied easily. **

**How I had **_**missed**_** that name. **

**Cocoa Girl's eyes widened. "Whoa! Your name even sounds like Max's! Isn't that funny, how some names are similar? Sort of like twins, they're so cool. I wish I had a twin. I've always wanted one. I've always wanted a pony too and oomph!" Blind Guy, who was apparently named Iggy, clapped a hand over her mouth. **

**Wait. Wasn't he blind? But his aim was perfect. **_**Oh, wow**_**. Mentally, I pinched myself, and Angel giggled. **

**Oh, right. Mind reader.**

**She giggled again. **

"**That's Nudge. She never shuts up." Cute Boy gestured to Cocoa Girl. I smiled. I didn't mind talkative people. **

**Iggy took his hand off her mouth and she smiled sheepishly at me. "Nice to meet you."**

"**Likewise." I nodded warmly. **

"**And this is Gassy, short for Gasman. Don't ask where he got his name. It's really gross." Angel wrinkled her small nose, and I got the picture. **

**Fang, meanwhile, looked like he wanted to start pacing. **

"**We're wasting time." He muttered. **

**Angel whispered something in his ear. **

**Something flashed in his emotionless, dark eyes. "Over my dead body," he snarled so loud other shoppers turned to stare as they passed. **

"**Please!" Angel begged, making her eyes go bog and wide. I quickly looked at the floor. **

"**Bambi eyes." I muttered. Thanks to Gabe and Elina, I knew them well…**

**I glanced back up from the floor to see five pairs of wide eyes staring at me. **

"**That's what Max called them," Gassy breathed disbelievingly. **

**I shifted my weight, suddenly feeling awkward. What was I doing, standing here talking to a bunch of random kids? Christian would come looking for me soon…or worse, the 'rents.**

_**No. These kids are special,**_** something deep shouted from inside me. **

"**Fine Angel. She can come; for awhile. What's your address?" I realized suddenly he was talking to me at the end. **

**I stared at him. They wanted me to run away with them?! To help find their leader? **

"**What? I just give out my address to random people? Nu-uh. If you want me to come with you, fine. But you're not picking me up." I snarled, facing his cold stare with a defiant one of my own. **

"**Spoken like a true Max." mumbled Iggy.**

"**Fine. Johnston Park, ten tonight. Pack light, don't be late." Fang's voice was brisk. The younger kids looked excited. **

**My eyes widened. He was dead serious. He wanted me to run away with them. Was it insanity to want to?**

"**You're not insane, Mack. You'll be helping not only us, but the whole world! Because that's what we're doing." Angel smiled sweetly at me. I smiled uncertainly back at her. **

"**It'll be dangerous. But I'll protect you." Iggy winked at me. Ah, so he was the sexist pig of the family. **

"**Um." I managed. **

_**Idiot,**_** I berated myself, **_**just go.**_

"**I'll be there." I muttered, wandering where my sanity had run off to this time.**


	4. Why the Eyes?

**ZOMG!!! I'm SO HAPPY I could cry! I just got my first Story Alert! So UNDERLANDERfromtheOVERLAND (Awesome pen name, btw) this one is 4 u!**

**Iggy's POV!!**

I felt Fang tap the back of my hand twice as the girl-Mack- walked away. I turned my head in his general direction, trying to train my eyes on where I imagined his to be.

"Follow her." He grumbled.

"Um, I would, but I'm blind." I stated awkwardly. Honestly, dude. Was it that easy to forget?

"Take Nudge with you." I could practically hear him roll his eyes.

"Ooh, goody! Field trip. I hope it's not like when Fang and I hung out with those hawks, even though they were cool and pretty. Ooh, speaking of hawks, she doesn't know we have wings, Fang!" I heard Gassy slap her lightly on the arm and she shut up.

For now.

"Okay, come on Igs!" Nudge grabbed my hand and I smiled in spite of myself. Her color was just that pretty. Like hot chocolate. **(A/N: no, this is not a Niggy story. Sorry Niggy lovers.)**

I tuned her rambling out, however. Instead I focused on the shoppers' voices, and that cool mall smell.

"Do you see Mack, Nudge?" I interrupted her midsentence.

"Um…" she drew out the word, probably glancing frantically around.

I sighed.

Retarded whitecoats.

Why take my eyesight? Why not something much less useful, like my smell?

"There! Come on. But we'll have to be sneaky." Nudge gasped suddenly, and I felt her body move as she pointed with her free hand uselessly.

I stumbled along when she jerked hard, steering me around booths and people in her haste.

The smell of the glorious food court hit me suddenly and I felt my mouth water. Geez. I loved Fang like a brother, man, but he sucked at handling money. Therefore, I couldn't stuff my genetically enhanced mouth with greasy food.

"Let's sit here. We can see her, but she can't see us." Nudge suggested, and I found myself in a random booth suddenly.

I grinned. "Actually, _you_ can see her."

Nudge brought my fingertips to her lips and I felt her smile sheepishly.

"Who's she with?" I asked her, tapping my foot impatiently. I hated stakeouts.

"Um, a big teenage guy, a kid around my age, and another around Angel's." She replied vaguely.

I huffed out an exasperated breath.

"A man just joined them. Very official looking. He sorta looks like her…her dad maybe? She doesn't look too happy to see him. Oh, and a woman too. She doesn't look anything like the Mack, but she does the other three. Her step mom then?" Nudge blabbed.

For once I was thankful for her gift of gab. It kept me informed.

"They're leaving. Come on." She took my hand again, and a few minutes later, we were in the air.

Stretching my very long wings felt good after keeping them tucked in so long. I wondered what they looked like now. Sure, I could feel colors, but it didn't exactly create the big picture.

"Um, follow me please." Nudge said uncertainly; she was worse than Fang at this leader stuff.

Not that Fang was a crappy leader. He'd done great when it was just us guys, but with all of us, he was under a lot of stress. We'd survived a week though, right?

_But had Max?_

I shoved the thought away. Of course she was alive. She was a valuable experiment.

I followed the sound of Nudge's beating wings, enjoying the feeling of warm summer wind. And trying not to be guilty because max wasn't. Probably.

For all we knew, she was in Fiji with Mr. Chu. They had had a couple pina coladas, called a truce, and become BFFs. Right this very minute, she was on a white-sand beach, sunbathing in a bikini that would make Fang drool.

Or, she was in the School, or Itex, or somewhere along those lines, being tested and tortured and wondering why we aren't there to rescue her yet.

Yeah. That one was a bazillion times more likely.

"Here! Straight down!" Nudge called after a few more moments.

I nodded, tucking in my wings a bit and dropping like a stone. Then, I opened them like a parachute, slowed considerably, and bent my knees before they hit the ground. Ugh. I hoped there weren't any random roots laying around this forest. (I could tell it was a forest because the leaves rustled.)

"I can't see the house, but I can see the driveway. Anyone that comes in or leaves we'll know about." Nudge muttered.

So we settled down to wait.

For hours.

**So, how was that? Care to leave a review and tell me? :D**


	5. ReBecoming Mack

_**This one might be a little slow…I think it is compared to the rest of what's to come, he he. But here it is anyway! And I'm going back in time temporarily to when she left the flock in the mall. It's important, I promise, otherwise I'd move forward.**_

_**Mack's POV**_

I walked off, leaving the strange kids to themselves. Had I made the right decision, to run away with them? I thought of Christian, Gabe, and Elina. How could I leave them? How could I leave them to defend themselves against him?

I couldn't.

But I had to.

The gorgeous one called Iggy had said it would be dangerous. Whatever "it' was. Would I ever see my siblings again? And what could they be involved in that was so terrible?

Whoa. Wait.

Back that up.

_Gorgeous_ one?

Bad Mack. Bad, bad, bad. His wink replayed over and over in my head, though, and I fought back a smile.

_Bad Mack_, I continued to scold myself.

As I navigated the mall, the hair on the back of my neck stood up. A familiar feeling washed over me…was I being followed? Watched? I glanced around. No one I saw looked familiar, but that didn't mean anything.

I picked up my pace, trying to get lost in the crowd. Soon I saw my siblings sitting at a table in the middle of the food court. Elina looked up from her oversized cookie and grinned. I smiled wearily when I reached them, looking down at her.

Gabe instantly began gloating about how he'd been _that close_ to getting chased by mall security, but Christian had talked them out of it. I simply scowled and forbade him to breathe a word of this to _them_. He just scowled back at me.

Christian looked at me suspiciously. "Nothing on sale at Victoria's?"

I kept my face carefully blank. "Nope."

My stepbrother raised his eyebrows. I ignored him.

"There they are." Grumbled a familiar voice. I smelled the over-used perfume next and held back a gag.

God, I hated her.

"We told you guys to stay on the first floor." My father eyed us, annoyed.

I gave him an _I-think-you're-the-stupidest-creature-to-walk-Earth_ look. "This is the first floor."

"I'm sure you four left it." Christina snapped. I just rolled my eyes. Elina and Gabe looked sheepishly at their mother. Christian stared at her with hard eyes.

We followed them out of the mall, and I had that weird feeling again; someone was following me.

Elina took one of my hands, though, and Gabe took the other. The warm sun enveloped us, and laughing, Gabe and I swung Elina back and forth every few steps.

She giggled and shrieked. I tried not to wince at how little she weighed. Much too little for a five year old, that was certain.

"You three, stop that. Walk through this parking lot like you've got some sense in you." Dad growled, glancing backwards at us. When he turned away again, we three culprits shared a dark look.

"Mommy, look what Mackenzie let me buy!" Elina squealed excitedly. Apparently, since Dad wasn't about to show affection, Elina thought she'd go for Christina.

I glowered at nothing in particular as she pulled the multi-colored tutu out of her shopping bag. I hated my real name. I much preferred my nickname, the one I'd given to the band of hobo kids.

I grinned. I would be Mack again soon. But first to deal with Dumb and Dumber.

"It's a tutu, see?" Elina asked, fluffing it out fondly.

"Yeah, we see." Dad said softly. I waited, tension coiled in my stomach. What would he do?

"What?! You wasted our money on a tutu that she'll never wear?" Stepwitch wailed.

"No. I bought it with my own money." I was constantly trying to set the record straight for these people. It was getting tiring.

"Why'd you waste _your_ money on a tutu she'll never wear, then?" Dad sounded very frustrated; trhe car doors wouldn't unlock.

"It was a gift. It didn't cost much." I muttered.

"You shouldn't have. Period." The doors finally opened. Most of the ride home was spent in silence. If you could really call it a home.

I went to my room immediately. It was time to start packing.

I shoved clothes, hairbrushes, toothbrushes and toothpaste, razors, anything I thought of into that bag.. I also stuffed in my makeup. Today was a rare day; normally I never left without thick quantities on, my eyes especially. I even took a few notebooks; I couldn't live without writing.

It was time to be me again. Mack was back.

"What are you doing?" Christian's voice came from the hallway. I jumped and froze, arms full of crap.

"Um." I said intelligently.

He studied me a moment, light brown hair partially covering one eye. Then, very slowly, he stated, "You're running."

_No good denying it,_ I thought. "You gonna tell?"

"Tell what? I don't know who you're with or where you're going." He grinned at me and I dropped my stuff, rushing over to hug him.

"Just be sure to take that cell phone you worked so hard for. Call, check in a few times a week. At night." He whispered into my hair.

I'd worked hard the last few months to get my own cell phone and plan. They couldn't track it, because it wasn't theirs. Good.

"I'll try," I hedged. He seemed to accept it. He let me go.

"Will Elina and Gabe hate me?" I asked softly.

No, they won't hate you. Envy you, maybe, but not hate you." He smiled wryly.

I took that as a blessing. Tonight was the night I'd break these chains. Tonight was the night I would fly free.

**Sorry, I know that last line was corny, but I couldn't resist the stupid pun. :) Reviewers will rule the world!! PS: I have no clue why all my chaps keep getting underlined, but I'll try to fix it!!!!**


	6. Johnston Park

**And now….what you've all been waiting for…. *makes sure earplugs are in***

**FANG'S POV!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

"You're late." I kept my voice toneless as usual.

Inside…well, inside I was in agony. Just as I'd been in agony for the past week. And would continue to be until Max came back.

"Sorry man," Iggy muttered, his wings shifting a bit. A just shrugged, which was pretty ,much the equivalent of not even replying in his case.

So I said, "I'm shrugging, Igs."

He rolled his cloudy blue eyes. I ignored him.

"Nudge, you want to come swing with me and Gasman?" Angel's little voice called from the swing set. We'd been at this park for an hour now.

A tiny part of me wanted to smile. But only a tiny part. They were acting like real kids. Man, Max would've loved to see this.

Angel cast me a sad, knowing look.

_STAY OUT of my head, Angel,_ I mentally snapped.

To everyone else, I added out loud, "Remember to keep your wings folded at first. She doesn't know we're mutant freaks."

Iggy grinned, but Gassy grumbled something about blood circulation being cut off. Eventually he did as he was told, though.

"She wouldn't mind, Fang. She _liked_ that I was telepathic." Angel said softly. Her swing creaked back and forth, back and forth.

I just gave her a stern look, and in went her wings.

Nudge began babbling about stars and whatnot. _Whoop-de-do, _I thought sarcastically, _we see them every night. _

"She's coming." Angel said after awhile. It was about freaking time.

Angel, Nudge, and Gassy all hopped lightly off their swings at their peaks, landed gracefully, and came to stand by Iggy and I.

Gasman took Angel's hand, and my carefully fabricated façade vanished a moment; those kids were adorable. Suddenly, I had the inexplicable yearning for a real sibling of my own. Someone to truly face the world with.

_That's what the flock is for, now focus,_ I ordered myself, jarring my mind back to reality.

"Hey everyone." Mack came into view. She carried a single, medium sized bag, slung across her chest. Not so hot for flying, but then, she was normal. She couldn't fly.

Ugh. She was going to slow us down.

My eyes quickly catalogued her face in my brain; high cheekbones, vampire-pale skin, dark brunette, choppy short hair. Very tall and skinny, around 5 10. To use the words of Iggy, "smokin' hot." Everything in my recoiled at that though. Yuck.

I glanced at the kids; Nudge was playing with her fingers nervously. Angel and Gassy seemed alright, though. Iggy was shifting his weight impatiently.

"Yo." I greeted.

"Hi! I'm Nudge! Oh, wait. You already knew that. I like your bag. I have one like it, except mine came from Goodwill. Yours probably didn't. I don't like Goodwill. I prefer-" She grunted a little when Igs clamped a hand around her mouth.

"You ready?" I inquired.

She shrugged. "Sure."

_Can she really be so chill about leaving everything behind?_ I wondered incredulously.

"Please, Fang! Please, can we show her before we go?" Angel began begging. I knew instantly what she was talking about.

"Oooh! Yeah, Fang, please?!" Nudge chimed.

"She _will_ find out sooner or later…" Gasman mumbled.

"Whatever." I snapped. Max was so going to have my head on a silver platter for this…

"Thanks Fang." Angel chirped.

"What are you guys talking about?" Mack's voice was simply very curious, not even suspicious.

"Don't be afraid," Angel said.

_Smooth, Angel, I thought. And then she opened her white wings. _


	7. White wings and Mind Blocks

**The last chapter sucked; it was so freaking short! I didn't even realize that until it was published….oh well. Here's an extra long one 'cuz I feel bad.**

**ALSO: CHRISTIAN, GABE, AND ELINA ARE HER **_**HALF**_** SIBLINGS!! I BELIEVE A PREVIOUS TYPO SAID THEY ARE HER STEP. WHOOPS!!!!!**

**Mack's POV**

I didn't even try to hide my shock this time. My mouth fell open, and my eyes widened. I gasped.

No way.

On top of being an adorable mind reader, she was also…what? Part bird?

She smiled. "If _part _bird is two percent, then yes." I shook my head a little to clear it; I wasn't scare or anything. Just shocked.

"Can I?" I asked, my hand already halfway extended to stroke the soft feathers. All guilty thoughts of my half siblings had vanished.

God, though, these wings were so beautiful….

"Thank you. And yes." Angel smiled.

I smiled back at her warily. She giggled as my fingertips brushed her left wing. Flesh was under the down-like feathers, and bone, and strong muscle….veins….

They were very birdlike.. And heavenly to the touch.

I pulled my hand back.

"How did you get them?" I asked her.

"It's a bit of a long story," Angel began.

Fang cut her off. "That we really don't have time for."

I ignored him. "Do you all have wings?"

He nodded slightly. I wrapped my mind around the concept slowly…

Hhmmm. They could fly, then. What else could they do?

And how did Blind Guy-er, Iggy- know where to fly?

I mentally shrugged it all off. This was obviously complicated stuff. And I wanted to get out of town before Dad and Christina noticed I was gone.

"Well, let's go then." I said briskly. Everyone, minus Fang, seemed shocked to see I was taking this all in stride.

Fang looked rather…awkward, suddenly. I raised my eyebrows.

"That's the thing. We don't know where to go."

I just stared at him. "Huh?" There, that summed it up.

"When Max was taken, false trails were planted. She could be anywhere." Iggy explained.

Wow, his voice was nice…

_No! _I mentally berated myself.

"So…why do you need my help?" I asked.

Fang, who was obviously the new leader, probably previously second-in-command, shrugged. "No clue. You were Angel's idea."

_I was never anyone's idea,_ I couldn't help but think wryly.

I shoved the thought away and glanced back at Angel, who was now holding Nudge's hand.

"You're special, Mack. I know you are. And you and Max have a lot in common. Plus, you know the ways of being normal, and w don't. the whitecoats don't know you, which could also be useful." angel said quietly, vaguely.

It was creepy. This little kid was like a freaking mastermind or something.

Everything was quiet a moment, then Gassy said, "So, where are we going?"

I glanced around at the warm, dark areas of the park. Shadows moved, and I shivered, fearing I was being watched again.

"A hotel." I decided suddenly, though I had no clue why. A hotel just seemed like the right choice.

Fang snarled. "Are you kidding? We can't go to a hotel, especially in this town. We've been here too long."

He glared at me, and I glared back. His glare made me want to crawl into angel's backpack and hide there a few months, so I figured he'd had time to work on it.

"Did I say here? No. there's a train station a few blocks from here. It even takes you out of state, if you want. You can pick the destination, Goth Boy. I'm not picky." I said coldly.

"She's like Max II!" Gassy whispered. Iggy chuckled.

Suddenly I found myself wishing I was wearing my dark eye makeup. It was like my security blanket.

I don't know why or how I did what I did next. But instinctively, I slammed down…_blocks_ sort of, around my mind. It was weird.

I was vulnerable, after all. And sad, thinking of who I used to be. The old Mack had hardly ever wore makeup.

Mackenzie had become Mack this past year. Maybe it was time for Mack to become Mackenzie. These people could never know my dark side, the things that were wrong with me….

Good Lord. I sound like a freaking monster or something.

**Okay, I know I promised a long chapter, but I forgot that it switched POV's again, so yeah….**

**Reviews???**


	8. Bombs? Seriously?

**Angel's POV**

I couldn't hold back my gasp. Mack had randomly thrown down mind blocks. How?! Even the flock, who had been practicing for _ages_, still had trouble. And these were the strongest mind blocks I'd ever felt. Not like Jeb, who felt like he had no mind at all, but like she was protecting herself.

"What is it Angel?" Nudge asked, instantly concerned.

"Mack…" I began, trying to push my way in. But the things were like brick walls!

"I know, I know. Give me a minute." She muttered. Whoa. She was _aware_ of them? She thought she could _lift_ them?!

"Sorry, sweetie." She smiled down at me and a moment later I felt the presence of her mind pushing back against mine like everyone else's.

I sighed in relief.

"Please say 'I' if you're as lost as I am." Iggy requested.

"Can we please just get going?" Fang sighed, exasperated. Poor guy. Maybe I should take over….

_Hmm….he talks more as leader,_ Nudge observed; her thoughts were always the loudest, barging in and interrupting my own. Quickly, I pushed her out. She was a great big sister, but her mind gave me a headache.

_If we hook the blue wire to the yellow one…_ Iggy was busy calculating how big a hypothetical explosion would be. Knowing him and my brother, it probably wouldn't stay hypothetical for long.

"Where is this train station, exactly?" Fang asked Mack. I knew he was mad that we'd brought her along. He thought she'd slow us down. But I knew she'd help. She was special.

Our group had only gone a few blocks. I frowned. Being in a strange place we didn't know much about was always hard.

Mack just rolled her eyes though at Fang's irritability, and stepped in front of him to lead us. Fang gritted his teeth, but said nothing. I knew he hated her, hated having her with us, knowing about us. But it was okay. Really. Once we had Max back, he'd thank me.

We walked some more, for about fifteen minutes. Nudge paused her constant chatter to yawn only once. Dang, that girl could talk!

"Here we are." Mack pointed to a very large, ugly brown building. Why hadn't they painted it something fun, like pink?

Fang went in first, and Iggy followed him, never missing a beat. I could tell Mack was impressed by him. Everyone always was.

_These kids are all so serious. What do they ever do for fun?_ She wondered.

I smiled mischievously. "Well, when Max was here, she and Fang would obsess over each other."

"What?" Fang's voice was irritated only to those who knew him. Amazingly enough, Mack seemed to pick up on it. She was very observant, it seemed.

"Nudge and I talk and do girly stuff. Iggy and Gassy set off bombs." Suddenly, Mack's mind blocks went down again.

"Dude. What up with that? As Total would say, anyway." I grumbled. I missed Total. He was at Dr. M's with Akila and Magnolia. I didn't know what he'd do if those two became best friends.

Iggy cleared his throat as we crossed the wide, empty, concrete-floored room.

"Bombs? Seriously?" Mack asked him. Her voice sounded kind of funny. Her mind blocks didn't lift, either.

Oi. I hoped he wouldn't treat her like a sexist pig during our time together…

**Crappy place to stop, huh? But it's time for Iggy!! Yay Blind Guy! Angel is hard to write in….she's six, yet creepier than Hitler.**

**Okay, maybe not THAT creepy….**

**Reviews???**


	9. Falling on My Butt

Hehe. I like this chapter. It's funny. 

Iggy's POV

"**Bombs? Seriously?" Mack asked. But she didn't sound freaked. She sounded excited. **

"**Uh, yeah." I said, grinning uncertainly in her direction. **

_**She's smiling back**_**, Angel told me. **

_**Wahoo!**_** My brain cheered. **

**Wait, why was my brain cheering? **

**Distracted by all this, I had forgotten to listen to everyone's footsteps. So naturally, I ran smack-dab into something hard. Was it a freaking concrete pillar?!**

"**Oomph." I huffed as I stumbled backward and landed on my butt. Smooth, Igs. Real smooth. Way to impress the new chick.**

**After a rather shocked silence-I never fell- the whole flock, including Mack, bust out laughing. **

**Oh, sure. Make fun of the blind kid. **

"**We're….we're not…..making…fun of….you….Iggy!" Angel managed between giggles. **

"**ZOMG that was the funniest thing I've ever seen." Was it just me, or was Nudge actually doubled over?**

**I could even hear Fang chuckling. So much for a supportive best friend. **

"**He's…trying…not to!" Angel laughed. **

"**Dude, that was epic! The whole side of your face is red." Gassy chortled. **

**I reached up to touch the slightly stinging side of my face. My sensitive fingertips confirmed that **_**yes**_**, my face was red. **

**Well, shiz. **

"**Here." Mack's voice. And new fingers. Ones I'd never felt before, slipped under my own. They brushed against my apparently red cheek. **

**So this was Mack's hand. **

**I memorized the feel of her fingerprints, storing them automatically in my enhanced brain. I needed to remember these fingers. I'd probably be feeling them some more. **

**The thought sent a warm feeling sliding down my spine. What was that all about? **

**Muttering curses to myself, I wrapped my fingers around Mack's small skinny ones.**

**My eyes widened. **

**She was so pale. Paler than me. And it was so **_**pretty.**_

**Um. Hold on. **

**Had I just thought the word **_**pretty?**_

**Had the concrete pillar given me a concussion?! Oh, God. **

**Angel giggled as I got to my feet. I squeezed Mack's hand and half-smiled her way as thanks. **

"**Guys, lets go!" Fang's voice was already five feet away from the rest of us. We all started walking in his general direction. **

**I followed Nudge's bouncy footsteps, Angel's lighter-than-air ones, Gasman's scurrying ones, Fang's almost silent ones. **

**Mack didn't let go of my hand. **

**It was a lot small than mine, but fit really well….**

_**Okay, dude. Snap out of it.**_** I told myself. **

**Jesus. How big was this train station?**

**Just as I thought that, I heard everyone stop walking. I quit, too, so there wouldn't be another, probably more disastrous incident. Mack's arm and fingers tensed, and I knew she'd been about to stop me herself. It felt good, having someone look out for me like that….**

"**Six tickets to Knoxville." I heard fang mutter. A shuffle of paper…dollar bills probably…**

"**You youngsters all alone?" an old mans voice. **

**Uh oh. **

**Mack saved us. "Yes, sir. Our parents are divorced. We're going to visit Dad for a few weeks." **

**Huh. Would something like that really work?**

**It did. Amazing. **

"**I understand perfectly. Here you are." I heard another shuffle of papers, a few stamps, and then we were walking again. **

"**Which train?" Mack asked. She still hadn't let go…**

"**879." Fang mumbled. **

"**How long is the ride?" I asked and heard every flock member hold their breath. **

**Being in a metal box that was speeding along thin metal tracks for hours on end didn't seem all that appealing. **

"**Awhile." Gee, Fangy, thanks for the definitive timeline. **

"**Exactly how long is awhile?" Mack asked, steel in her voice. I admired her spunk. **

"**Three or four hours. We get on at ten fifty-five and get off at around two thirty." Fang sounded annoyed.**

**Not that you could tell he was annoyed. That's our brick wall!**

"**Thank you," Mack snapped, though, like she could tell anyways. How weird…**

**Fang didn't bother replying. Mack didn't let go of my hand. I didn't complain about either. **

"**There it is!" Nudge exclaimed suddenly. "Ooh, look. It's really big and black. And there's smoke coming out of it. I've never rode on a train before. I hope it's fun."**

"**Nudge." Fang said in a warning tone. She shut up. **

**Smart kid. **

**Okie dokie, there's your little taste of Iggy… Onward to more bickering between Mack and Fangy poo!**


	10. Train Ride

Hello everyone! This one is long…or, it is in my notebook…..

Mack's POV

**The train was just like any other train. Jesus. Nudge didn't need to have an apoplectic fit or something. **

"**Come on guys." Fang's hands were clenched into fists and he looked like he was about to get a cavity filled. Well, okay, he looked like a tough macho man, but that was the vibes he was sending off. **

**What was his deal?**

**Scared of a train, Oh Mighty One?**

**Then it hit me. He was claustrophobic. They all were. **

**I was too, but usually I could keep my fear under control. **

**The kids all followed him up the steps and into the car though. Except Iggy. He stayed still, holding my hand. **

"**Um…" he began. I looked at him. **

"**How man steps are there? I couldn't tell with everyone going up at once." He finally whispered. **

**I smiled slightly. He was just so darn cute! **

"**There's only three. Want me to go first?" I offered. **

**Unlike the Great Black Rock, Iggy's emotions were written clearly on his face. He was embarrassed. He nodded, though. Unwillingly, I let go of his hand and climbed up. **

**Iggy listened a moment, then mirrored my movement perfectly, climbing onto the car without stumbling. **

"**To the left, straight back, then the last compartment on the right." I directed, spotting our…what? Group? **

"**Flock, Mack. We're a flock." Angel informed me when we reached them. **

**Iggy slid in next to Gassy and Fang, opposite me and the girls. He reached out confidently and closed the compartment door, smirking. **

**That smirk reminded me of my little fantasy, the one that had caused me to slam mental blocks down for the second time. **

**On this one TV show I watched, this guy came walking out of a building with a remote control in his hand. He was very calm, and cocky. When he hit a button on the control, the building behind him blew to smithereens. He just smirked and kept walking. Except, in my head, it was Iggy. Not that actor. So, just about the sexiest thing ever. **

"**Mack, what does that mean?" Angel inquired. My blood froze. I could feel my eyes go wide. **

**Uh oh. I hadn't had mental blocks down. **

**Oh sh…oot. **

**Angel's eyes widened too at that. "Is it bad?" **

"**n…no Angel. It's not a b…bad thing. Just something from a TV show." **

**Fang raised his eyebrows as the dark scenery outside the window flew past now that the train had started. **

**Nudge and Gasman looked confused….I didn't even wanna look at Iggy.**

"**Where are your mind blocks now?" Fang's voice was perfectly monotone, but I could sense the sneer meant to be behind it. **

"**Don't think that about Mack, Fang! Besides, I've heard the word in your thoughts too." Angel was quick to come to my defense, at least. But what had Fang thought about me?! **

"**Oh? What word?" Iggy asked casually. **

"**It sounds sorta like sexist…" Angel frowned.**

"**Sexy?" Iggy chuckled. My face burned. **

"**Yeah! Sorta. Only different." Angel frowned again. "Max will explain when she gets back." Fang interrupted quickly, giving everyone, including Angel, a shut-up-right-now look. **

**Coward. **

**Angel pouted a moment, then yawned. **

"**You sleepy, Angel?" I asked softly. God, she was so much like Elina….**

**It made me kinda nurturing toward her. **

**She smiled. "Yeah, kinda." **

"**Here." I said, twisting her little body until she was lying on her side on the seat, head in my lap. I looked at Nudge next, who was looking at me sheepishly. I smiled at her too.**

"**You can too, if you want." Angel was only occupying one leg. **

**She cast me a grateful look, then placed her head near Angel's. **

**They were asleep within seconds. **

**I noticed Gasman eyeing them enviously. He was trying very hard to look indifferent, but he was losing the hard battle to sleep. **

"**Gasman, you could use some sleep too," I said cautiously. If he was anything like twelve-year -old Gabe, he'd snap at me. **

**He was, apparently. "No I don't." He stuck out his chin stubbornly. Fang smirked, crossing his arms. His eyes clearly said **_**I dare you to try.**_

**I frowned at Gasman. "But gasman, if you don't sleep now, you won't be fresh and alert when we get to Knoxville." **

**He rolled his eyes. "So?"**

"**So, studies find that girls are really groggy and vulnerable when they first wake up. Don't you wanna protect them?" I asked innocently. Of course, his little kid brain prevented him from seeing the several flaws in my technique. **

**He fell for kit instantly, as I knew he would. "You're right Mack. I'll sleep now to protect the girls in Knoxville."**

"**Good boy, Gasman. You want to come over here?" I smiled approvingly. **

**He yawned, looking at me doubtfully. "Is there room?"**

**I nodded. "Right here, between Angel and the seat." **

"**Okay then." He shrugged and soon his head was in my lap too. Like the others, he was out in seconds. **

"**They're sweet kids." I whispered, stroking the telepath's blonde curls. **

"**How'd you do that?" Iggy asked in awe. **

"**I'm good with kids." I shrugged. **

"**I'll say." He mouthed. I just laughed. **

"**You think they're sweet. But you haven't seen them in a fight." Fang said lightly. I ignored him. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what he meant. **

"**So, um, tell me about yourselves. I know you all have wings, so I assume you fly. And Nudge talks a lot. Fang never talks. Iggy, you and Gassy set off bombs. Anything else?" I asked eventually, when the silence started to get to me. **

**Fang said nothing. Shocker.**

"**Yeah…I can feel colors." Iggy replied. **

**I sat there a second, absorbing that. Then I grinned. "Dipping you hand into a bag of Skittles must be torture." **

**He barked a laugh. The kids slept right through it. **

"**Nudge?" I asked next. **

"**She hacks computers. And if she touches something, she knows everything about the person who touched it last. She's also a human magnet. Sends spoons flying." Iggy briefed. I blinked a few times at the sleeping eleven year old in my lap. This innocent little girl could do all that?**

"**Nice. Gasman?" I went on. **

"**Well, he had to get his name from somewhere, if you catch my drift. Besides that, he can mimic any sound, and throw his voice. Not to mention he's a darn good apprentice. He has himself a future as a pyro."**

**He grinned and I laughed. "Ew. How about you, Goth Boy?"**

**And suddenly, just like that, he was gone. Poof. Disappeared into thin air. **

"**Uh…" Okay, that was the freakiest thing I'd seen all day. Wings included. **

"**I take it he turned invisible?" Iggy clarified. **

"**He does that a lot?" I asked, looking around the compartment warily. It was seriously creepy…**

"**Boo." Said Fang's voice right next to my ear. I shrieked and jumped. The kids blinked hazily a few times, but otherwise slept on. **

**And just as suddenly as he'd disappeared, Fang was back in his seat by Iggy, looking as much like a stone wall as he ever had. **

"**I guess I might as well say that Max flew faster than the rest of us. Way faster." Iggy went on. Hmm. I wasn't sure how that whole flying thing worked.**

"**That's all?" I asked. **

**He snorted. "No. but the rest you'll have to figure out on your own. It'll make things more fun."**

**I let myself absorb my insane day. The train ride passed quickly after that. **

**And then we were pulling into the station. Time to rock and roll. **

**So, there's that one. As you can see, Fang and Mack butt heads a bit. But it's all good. They'll learn to deal…eventually. **


	11. So Sleepy

Okay, I realize comparing Angel to Hitler was a bit much…it was supposed to be a joke. Yeah. I suck at comedy. Sorry people.

Angel's POV

"**Angel, wake up." A soft voice said in my ear. **

"**Max?" I questioned, confused. Where was I? The ground wasn't usually this soft. **

"**No, sweetie. Mack." The soft voice corrected. **

**Oh. Duh. **

**We were on a train to Knoxville. Mack, a normal girl, had joined forces with us. **

**And I should be sitting up and alert right now instead of still on Mack's lap. **

**Oopsies.**

"**Oh, sorry. I'm up." I said, getting to my feet. **

**Gasman took my hand and I smiled at him, delighted. He hardly ever did that anymore. **

"**Come on Angel." He said in that voice people reserve for small children. **

**I was **_**seven**_**. I wasn't a little kid. But I decided to let him lead me off the train anyway. Then he did the oddest thing. He took Nudge's hand too. Huh?**

**I slipped into his mind unnoticed as Fang opened the compartment door. **_**I gotta protect the girls. Max would want me to while she's away. Even if I am being sexist.**_

**Ooh! So that's what he was doing. How sweet!**

**Iggy was holding Mack's hand again. OOOOOOOHHHHH! Maybe Nudge and I can get those two together! Max and Fang are pretty much a done deal since Hawaii…**

**Nudge was letting Gassy lead her off the train too. Her eyelids drooped and she said nothing at all. Was she really that tired? **

**I barely noticed stepping off the car myself, besides the fact that my breathing changed. I think the whole flock took a huge breath of fresh air. **

"**Where to now?" I heard Mack ask as individual parts of my brain began shutting down. **

_**No! Stay awake! **_**But it was so hard….the whole night before the mall had been spent fighting and running from Erasers. And we'd all stayed up tonight too….**

"**A hotel, remember?" Fang growled. Some dim part of me noted that this station was pretty much like the other.**

_**Stupid chick…can't even remember something so simple…**_** Fang's thoughts drifted to me in chuncks, jarring me awake.**

**Mack WAS NOT stupid. **

"**Fang!" I berated **

"**Stay **_**out**_of my head, Angel." He snarled at me.

We're all just probably getting cranky. Yeah, that's it.

He saw the hurt in my eyes. I know he did. Because even though his face remained a hard mask, his own eyes softened and I knew he was sorry.

"Stop being a jerk, Fang." Iggy muttered. Oh, right. He couldn't see Fang's silent apology.

Mack giggled.

Whoa! _Max _never giggled.

Maybe she and this girl had less in common than I originally thought. Oh well. She's still pretty great.

_So…tired…_ I thought.

"Fang…..I can't walk anymore." I mumbled, leaning heavy on a half asleep Gasman.

Fang opened his mouth to urge us on-but Mack cut him off.

"Come on, sweetie, climb on." She bent over double in front of me. Instantly I crawled onto her back, closing my eyes.

Fang narrowed his at her, but said nothing.

And I heard Mack gasp in terrified shock as she stood up.

**I admit it: this is really just a filler chapter. BUT it does set up a very good foreshadow contained in Mack's thoughts about her past in the next chapter. Hehe. **


	12. Sleeping Arrangements

Mack's POV

**My heart dropped into my stomach. Oh, no. Oh God no. Not these kids too. Weren't Elina and Gabe enough?**

_**She's so light. Way too light for a SEVEN year old. Oh, god, she weighs less than ELINA….**_** I thought. Poor babies. Poor, poor, malnourished babies. **

"**No, Mack," Angel laughed sleepily in my ear. "I'm supposed to weigh this much." **

**Relief flooded through me. I'd forgotten she was two percent bird; birds had hollow bones. She was fine. **

**We began walking again, and soon were on the streets of Knoxville. My bag banged against my thigh. I was free for the first time in years, really. **

"**All right Miss I Know What I'm Doing. Lead the way." Fang hissed at me. **

**Angel had fallen asleep on my back; now she couldn't tell me why he hated me. **

"**Well, do you want a sleazy Roach Coach? Or do you want a hotel where the water **_**isn't**_** brown?" I snarled back.**

"**Nice hotel, please." Iggy requested instantly. **

"**Fang?" I asked, not wanting to tick the leader off. Even if he was being rude. **

"**Fine. The kids deserve it." He seethed through gritted teeth. **

"**Then follow me." I said. I'd been to Knoxville tons of times. I could walk through it blindfolded. The flock, of course, didn't know that. **

"**You do know where you're going, right?" Iggy asked warily.**

"**Yes, Iggy." I rolled my eyes. **

"**Okay. Just checking," he said in an **_**I-surrender **_**tone.**

**It took maybe twenty minutes to reach the main strip. Even at this late hour, stores were open, people were out shopping, cars clogged the street. I loved big cities. **

**And bada-bing, bada-boom, there was the hotel. It was narrow and tall. A few lights were on here and there. The lobby was pretty much empty, except for the clerk and security guard. **

**Perfect. **

"**This okay with everyone?" I called back. Angel moaned when I yelled in her ear, turning her head. Whoops. **

"**Yeah! Looks great! Best hotel I've ever seen." Iggy called sarcastically. I laughed more quietly this time. Nudge gave a tired giggle.**

"**Yeah. Whatever." Fang shrugged. **

**Stupid emo kid.**

"**As long as it has a bed, we're cool," Gasman mumbled, gesturing to Angel and himself. Then he seemed to remember he was supposed to be awake and alert. His back straightened considerably and there was light in his eyes. **

**What a little trooper he was turning out to be. **

"**Okay then." I opened the door and they all passed through. **

"**What's the most beds you've got in one room?" Fang asked the woman behind the counter. **

**She looked at him, bored, then popped her gum. "Three." **

"**We'll take it." I decided before Fang could pull out a flame thrower and burn her to a crisp. His tense body language told me he was frustrated with everyone and everything that wasn't perfect right now. Not that he showed this. But I'm good at reading people.**

"**Just one night?" The woman asked, typing away on her computer. I nodded, slapping down a one hundred dollar bill. **

**It's a long story. **

"**A little young to be staying alone, aren't you?" The woman-her nametag read Cheryl-asked. **

"**Aren't you a little old to be dressed like that?" I countered. The security guard chortled from his position in the corner-Cheryl's bubblegum and ponytail didn't exactly match her middle aged face.**

**She turned scarlet as Iggy laughed. "I have no clue what she looks like, of course, but I bet that was a good one." **

"**Room 105, third floor." She handed me the room key and swiped up my money. We all started toward the elevators. **

**Okay, even I had some trouble stepping on there. I was the last one on and the first one off. **

"**What number are we again? I hope it's not 666, that's a bad number, right? This is creepy, no one else is around and that light is flickering…" Nudge had certainly perked up. **

"**We're 105," I mumbled, scanning the doors as we passed them. No, no, no, no.**

"**Here." Fang called. I slid the card in and waited till the little green light came on. Then Fang swung the door open. I entered with Angel on my back. **

**I raised my eyebrows. **

**A room to the left held two beds, a TV, a nightstand, dresser, and lamp. In this room there was a little kitchenette thing, a couch, a couple chairs, a table, another TV….**

**To the left was another bedroom with the same furnishings as the first, except there was one huge bed. It also had a pretty big bathroom attached. **

**This was what 99 bucks a night got us? Sweet!**

"**Hmm. So Nudge, me, and Angel in that bed, Iggy and Gasman in the other, and Fang, you want the big bed to yourself?" I asked. Maybe Mr. Emo needed some time alone with his razor blades…**

"**Ew, Mack!" Angel protested against my shoulder, waking up a bit. **

**I went into the room on my left and laid her on the bed closest to the door. "I'm sorry. I'm just cranky. Everything's okay," I soothed, pulling her jacket and shoes off and laying them on the floor next to her. **

**She was back to sleep in seconds. **

**Meanwhile, an argument was going on amongst the others. **

"**No Iggy! Sorry, dude, but I have to stay with the girls." Gasman was protesting. Uh oh. Looks like he took me a bit **_**too**_** seriously. **

**Nudge looked at me, shrugged at my confused expression, and stalked off to collapse beside Angel. Well, gee thanks for clearing that up Nudge. **

"**What's going on?" I asked. **

"**Gasman wants to sleep with the girls and Fang wants the other bed." Iggy informed me grumpily. **

"**So?" I asked, tired mind utterly blank.**

**Iggy looked scandalized. "So that means **_**we'd**_** have to share **_**that **_**bed. Assuming there is a bed in the direction I'm pointing." He explained. **

**OMG. **

**I got to share a bed with Iggy?! No way. The universe didn't love me that much. Did it? **

**Whoa.**

**Wait. **

**I just met the dude today. I needed to chill. Desperately. **

"**Iggy, can I talk to you for a minute?" Fang asked tightly. **

"**Uh, sure." Iggy said. **

**Gasman just scowled at us all and went to crawl between Angel and Nudge. **

**After five minutes of persuasion. Whispered insults, and much foot tapping on my part, the two oldest boys came back. **

**With a glare in Fang's general direction, Iggy held out his hand. "Lead the way, then. No way am I bumping into something for the second time tonight." **

**I felt my insides twist as I wrapped my fingers around his. **

_**No. Bad Mack.**_** I tried telling myself. But I knew deep down that I was crashing and burning. **

"**Night." Fang waved his hand with two fingers as he clomped off in the opposite direction. Iggy flipped him off in response. **

**I giggled, then slapped my hand over my mouth. I never giggled. I blame hormones for doing this to me. **

**Iggy turned to me and grinned as we entered our room. Oh good Lord. He wasn't going to make this easy. **

"**Um. I'm going to take a shower." I told him. Anything to escape that unseeing gaze that melted my insides….**

**I tossed my back heavily into the bathroom where it landed with a loud thump. **

"**Kay." He agreed, and flopped down spread-eagled on his back. **

**I frowned. That didn't leave me any room. "Don't fall asleep like that." **

"**I won't." He grumbled. **

**I closed the bathroom door shyly, undressed, and slid under the hot spray. Not too long later and I was out again. Since I wasn't wearing my usual dark makeup, it didn't take twice as long. But God, I wanted it back…**

**Dressed and damp hair brushed, I slipped back out the door. Iggy was sitting up, awake and alert, thank goodness. **

**He turned his head my way and smiled. "That was quick." **

"**I shrugged," I told him, even though I hadn't. I didn't have the energy. All I wanted was to sleep. **

"**Um. Let's go to bed now." Iggy said awkwardly. **

"**Okay." I whispered, letting myself sink into the comfortable sheets, and eventually, darkness. **

**How many of you saw that coming???**


	13. Waking Up to Mack

**This chapter is veerrrryyy short, but I couldn't resist writing at least part of this in Iggy's POV, so here we go!**

**Iggy's POV**

I woke up with someone wrapped in my arms.

That was odd.

Hmm…I wondered what time it was. And if the sun was up yet or not. Ah, the perks of being a blind bird kid.

My mind jerked me back to the first topic; I was holding someone.

Not that it didn't feel good, didn't feel right. Because it did. Totally.

Uh.

Oh no.

I was holding Mack. That chick we'd met only yesterday. The same chick Fang had paired me with last night because apparently I was now "second-in-command" and I needed to "feel her out" for the safety of the flock.

I was feeling her out all right.

My arms were around her waist and back. Her chest was pressed against mine. Our legs were a tangled mess. My hand curved up to support her neck.

Why were we like this? Instinct?

Ugh. She was waking up.

"Good morning," I smirked, trailing my fingertips across her cheekbones, trying desperately to play it cool.

"Morning." She stretched against me, like waking up pressed against a near stranger was an everyday occurrence for her.

"Get up, you two!" Fang's voice ordered from the door.

There was silence for a couple seconds as both Mack and I froze. Oh God. What expression was on his face?

"What the-" Fang began but Angel cut him, off.

"Language, Fang." She called from somewhere behind him.

We were so busted.

**Hehe. I love this short-but-awesome chapter. Reviews??? **


	14. Waking Up to Iggy

**Mack's POV**

"Language Fang!" Angel called.

Uh oh. We were in trouble, weren't we?

"Ewwww!" I heard Gasman chorus.

"Awww, that's so sweet Iggy! I wish we had a camera. Then we could take a picture. Ooh, or a camera phone. Those are so cool! OMG, I would love texting." Nudge went on and on.

"Nudge, hush." Fang snapped.

"Dude, chill." I said and winced. My throat was sore and my voice cracked from misuse.

"My best friend is wrapped around you like a taco shell." Fang stated, emotionless again instead of angry.

I glanced over; Iggy's face was red. Hehe.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." I drawled, stretching again.

Iggy's arms tightened automatically to keep me pressed against him . I smiled.

"It is." Fang hissed. I rolled my eyes in his general direction.

"You're the one who conned us into sharing a bed." I snapped.

He just glowered at me. Ha! I'd stumped him. All the kids watched us with wide eyes fro m the doorway.

Angel giggled and I winked at her. Then Nudge screeched. Huh. Guess that giggle wasn't for me. Iggy jumped next to me, jerking my body against his in an interesting way…

"What?!" Gasman yelped.

"OMG, Angel, we totally should." Nudge agreed to an unspoken suggestion. Um. Huh?

"Yay! I knew you'd agree. Let's go plan!" Angel enthused. The two of the skipped off.

Okay then….

Fang shook his head a bit to clear it. "Whatever. Iggy, get up and start breakfast." With one last glare at me, he turned away. Childishly, I stuck my tongue out at his back.

Whoa! Hang on! The blind pyro was a COOK too?! No way. It should be illegal for someone to be that sexy by nature.

I frowned at myself. It seemed my internal scolder was taking a personal day.

"We should probably get up now. Though I'm really quite comfortable…"Iggy teased me suddenly with a perverted grin. I giggled, then obediently sat up.

He rolled off the other end of the bed and I realized Gassy was still in the doorway.

"Gasman, you need something?" I asked.

He frowned. "Iggy, Max is going to kill you."

Iggy froze mid shirt change.

Not that I was complaining. The guy had abs, man. Swoon.

"What do you mean?" Iggy asked.

"You're in love with the new girl." Gasman accused darkly.

Iggy turned red as I flat out grinned.

"I DO NOT LOVE MACK!" Iggy roared.

_Not yet,_ I couldn't help but think.

Oh God. What had I gotten myself into?

**This one was a quickie too. The next one might be too, but it gives you a tiny bit of info on Mack's past. The one after that gives you HUGE insight into her past though, and things start to pick up pace afterwards, I SWEAR!!! All of this smut is necessary!! For instance did you notice how she randomly slapped down a hundred dollar bill?????**


	15. Miss Mary Mack

**I was considering putting in a scene where Mack helps Iggy with breakfast, but I'm tired of writing fluff with those two. Not that there won't be more in the future, because there SO will, but I want to really get the plot moving. So, onward….**

**Fang's POV**

"So, uh….where do we go from here?" Iggy asked me quietly.

"No idea," I mumbled back. No use lying to the guy.

We wondered around aimlessly for awhile, taking in the sights and sounds of Knoxville. I wasn't impressed, but then, it took, like, a circus full of English speaking hippos to impress me.

Suddenly, I heard my name.

I turned around sharply to see a young guy and even younger girl huddled around a laptop outside a café.

"Go to Fang's blog!" The girl requested, giggling. Mack stopped, studying me and the surrounding area suddenly.

"Uh oh. Fan girl alert, dude." Iggy said.

"Yeah, I know." I grunted. I watched inconspicuously as my blog appeared on the smallish screen.

I heard Mack gasp and turned to look at her. She just stood there, wide eyed.

Interesting.

"You're _that _Fang?!" She screeched, looking from me to the screen.

For once I spoke my mind, uncensored or shortened. "Well, yeah. How many other Fangs do you know?"

"You got me arrested!" She snarled, glaring at me.

Nudge, Angel, and Gasman were across the street, looking into the wide window of a toy store. Good. They'd gotten kind of fond of Mack.

If I had to kick her out of the flock for being an ex-felon, so be it.

"What are you rambling on about?" I asked in a bored voice.

She took a deep breath. Oh goody, a long story. "A couple months back, there was a huge crowd in front of this regular old office building that had been there forever. Christian, my older half brother, wanted to know what was going on, so I hopped out of the car. Everyone was yelling; I mean they were really ticked about something. They were chanting, too, something about a blog, a fang, and school."

This chick had been at one of those crazy protests? She didn't really seem the type….

"Go on." I said, wondering how all this had landed Miss Mary Mack in a jail cell.

"Then things got pretty violent. The crowd surged forward and I couldn't get back to the car. People were throwing things through the broken windows; rocks, lit fireworks, anything really. Eventually, some passersby called the cops. They slapped handcuffs on anyone they could reach." Mack explained, then averted her eyes to glare at the kids online.

Hmm….I had gotten people thrown in prison?

Max would be so ticked if she ever found out.

"Sweet." Iggy slapped her a high five, then turned to me.

"Dude! Your cult is so devout they got _arrested _for it, man!" he grinned.

Mack looked a little wary at that. "Cult?"

"He was deemed Most Likely to Become a Cult Leader at the flock awards last year." Iggy explained.

Mack smiled. "Ah." Just like she understood everything.

Yeah, because I'm sure this only-human, super tall, super skinny, pathetic I-have-no-one-to-care-about-but-myself, never-truly-suffered-a-day-in-my-life Max wannabe understood _anything. _

"Let's find a place to camp tonight." I muttered after the kids had had their fill of looking at toys they weren't going to buy.

**Sorry. Fang is going to continue to be in a bad mood until Max is back. Then he'll be back to skipping around and whistling lovey-dovey show tunes like the Fang we all know and love. Reviews on the mildest of Mack's dirty little secrets????**


	16. Nightmares

**Here we go! I'm really sorry I didn't update sooner, but a friend came over…..got kind of caught up in movie watching. (Anyone that hasn't seen _I Love You, Beth Cooper_ needs to.)**

**So here's a chapter! Another piece of Mack's past is revealed. BTW, anyone have any good last names for her and a first name for her dad??**

**Mack's POV**

We'd found a place to camp for the night. Apparently, when the bird kids go camping, they go all out; sleeping bags were the thickest protection they had against the elements.

Not that I minded. Tonight was a gorgeous, warm summer night, the sky full of stars.

"It's really warm out tonight, so why do we need a fire?" Gasman inquired, looking at the flames skeptically.

"It might get colder as the night goes on." I explained, sneaking glances at Iggy through my lashes. It was really late; Nudge had found something wrong with every campsite we'd managed to find, so we'd finally settled down at this one at half past one in the morning.

"Mack, what all did you pack? I bet it's all stuff like Max's, no perfume or makeup or anything, just plain jeans and t shirts and mph." She mumbled. Fang slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Bed, guys. All of you." His meaningful gaze lingered on me. I bit back my sharp retort.

The flock did something very weird, then. They all stacked and tapped their fists.

I shrugged to myself, feeling awkward and a little left out. They were very obviously a family, with rituals and traditions I was not and would never be included in.

I busied myself with fluffing the cotton in my sleeping bag.

Angel studied me a moment as the kids went to their respective beds. Then she crawled over to me, and sat criss-crossed on the end of my makeshift bed. She curled her little fingers into a fist and held it out.

I stared at it uncomprehendingly a moment. She smiled sweetly at me, then grabbed at my limp fingers. Gently, she curled them into a fist that resembled hers.

I smiled softly at her, understanding now. We stacked and bumped fists like the others had. Fang observed us with a stony expression. I ignored him, and kissed Angel on the cheek.

"Thanks. Night sweetie." I smiled a little again, then lay down on my side.

She crawled back over to her nest of ratty blankets, curling up with her wings wrapped around her.

I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting back the growing pain at missing my own family. Well, three members in particular, anyway.

"_Mackenzie, the office called for you. You're leaving early today." My teacher smiled at me from her position at her desk in the back of the room. She hung the phone back up._

_I grinned, waving good-bye to Andrew and Rebecca. My weekend was going to begin earlier than theirs. Suckers._

_I whizzed through putting my stuff in my locker and dashed up the steps, smiling too myself. Why was Mom checking me out early?_

_She was grinning as I rushed to hug her. Her beautiful face looked prettiest when she smiled. "You're day was good?" Her Italian accent was thick when she was excited. _

"_Yes, especially because you picked me up so early. What's going on?" I asked. We exited the building with our arms wrapped around each other's waists. _

"_I got the promotion!" She squealed, hopping up and down like a little kid. Then again, she looked young enough to be a big sister to me…_

_I shoved the stray thought away and began jumping with her. The promotion! Oh, this was so great!_

"_Oh my God, Mom! I'm so proud of you! You worked hard and deserved it." I grinned at her. She opened the car door for me, and after we both buckled, we sped out of the parking lot. _

"_Whheee!" Mom shrieked, turning the radio on very loud. Boys Like Girls__ thumped out a pumped-up rhythm. I threw back my head and laughed as we pulled onto the bypass. _

"_I'm going to take you to dinner, and then we're going to shop till we drop. I got a sign on bonus!" She announced, yelling over the music. The bass vibrated the car and she squealed again. _

"_Wow! Mom, that's awesome, but you don't have to take me shopping." Shopping wasn't my favorite thing in the world to do. I wasn't very girly….my mother was, though, so I supposed I could humor her a few hours. And dinner did sound great._

"_Of course I have too! You're my-" She began. _

"_Mom, watch out!" I suddenly screamed. She slammed on the brakes, pulling into the emergency lane. _

"_What? What?!" She gasped, looking wildly around. I sat there, breathing heavy. I had no idea why I had just done that. We had been perfectly fine…._

"_Nothing. Sorry. It's just…." I started, then glanced around, looking for a good excuse. A white, mangy dog was in the strip of grass that ran between the four lane traffic. Aha! "You almost hit that dog." My mom was a real sucker for animals; birds especially. _

"_Oh! Is it okay?" She asked, looking out her window a few minutes at the dog. Then she started driving again. _

_I couldn't help but wonder what that outburst had been all about, though. _

_We pulled up to the intersection, stopping because our light was red. _

"_So where do you want to eat? Logan's? I know you love their rolls." She smiled fondly at me._

"_Yes!" I enthused, pumping a fist in the air. She laughed. _

_Our light turned green and we began moving again. _

_I flash of electric blue caught my eye out of my mother's window. I whipped my head around instinctively; my mind processed several things in less than two seconds. _

_A HUGE bright blue truck was barreling toward us. _

_It wasn't going to stop, either. _

_My mother wasn't paying attention; she was mouthing the words to some song. _

_And we weren't going to make it out of the truck's way in time. Even if it braked, we were about to be hit. _

"_Mom, watch out!" I screamed, and I felt an odd sense of déjà vu. _

_She turned her head, saw the blue truck, and floored it, trying to get out of the way. Horns blared from all around us…._

_The impact was breath-stealing. Suddenly the car was flipping and all I could hear was screeching metal, glass breaking, screams….._

"_Mack? Mack!" Iggy's voice called my name. _

_Wait. That hadn't happened the day my life changed forever. _

Slowly, I resurfaced from a deep sleep.

The sky was still dark, so I'd only been out a few hours. I was wrapped up in Iggy's arms, breathing heavily. My voice was making these soft whimpering sounds and I dimly realized I was sobbing.

Oh, God, I had to stop.

No vulnerability can show. Period. Not around these people, not about that.

So I stiffened, quieted myself, and sat up. Iggy let me, removing his arms instantly. Suddenly, I felt cold. He 'looked' my direction warily.

"You okay?" He asked.

I glanced around at all the sleeping forms. Fang, whom I suspected hated me, was there. Nudge was curled up not too far away from me. Gasman, who reminded me so much of Gabe, held Angel by the waist as she slept, her face seeming troubled in her sleep. Maybe someone else was having a nightmare too, could telepaths invade on other people's dreams, too?

And then there was Iggy.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a retarded nightmare. No biggie." I shrugged, taking a few deep breaths.

The darkness was comforting, strangely enough. So did the shadowy forms of trees and the moon and stars shining through.

"If you say so." Iggy shrugged awkwardly as he went to lay back down, but not before waking Fang for his watch. Iggy seemed to debate over something for a moment, then shrugged and dragged his sleeping bag closer to mine. Now he wasn't even two feet away.

"Closer to the fire. You were right; it did get colder." He grinned.

Fang rolled his eyes.

With Iggy this close, and, though I wouldn't admit it, Fang keeping watch, I felt safe enough to fall back asleep. Something I hadn't felt safe enough to do in a long time.

**Okay, so how was it??? Reviews please????**


	17. The Geek's Long Password

**Iggy's POV**

I could hear the others moving around, could hear Fang softly whispering into someone's ear. For a moment, I pretended it was Max he was talking to. God I missed her.

She was the long password to the geek's email account, if you know what I mean.

Ugh. I really needed to wake up.

"How'd our little guest sleep in the big scary forest last night?" Fang asked in an emotionless tone. Anger burned the sleepiness right out of me, and I sat up, glaring.

"Lay off her, man." I ordered without thinking.

Even though Mack had shrugged last night off as nothing, I knew it had been rough on her. I wonder what that dream was about….

Fang said nothing in response to me.

"She's really happy you stuck up for her, Iggy," Angel informed me by whispering in my ear.

I just rolled my eyes and began handing out our fancy breakfast; granola bars.

When I got to Mack, she didn't take it. "Ugh, no thanks. One of you take mine." She groaned.

Whoa.

What?

Did she just _decline_ food? All sounds stopped; Nudge's chattering, Fang's typing, Angel unwrapping her bar.

"You don't want it?" I asked, confused. It was as if someone had ripped up a check for a million bucks in the flock world.

"No," by the tone of her voice I figured she was making a face, "I don't eat much. My average is, what, a meal a day?"

Okay, now, to a freaky genetic hybrid that on average needs 4,000 calories a day, and has had to eat desert rat before, that statement alone was enough to convince me of her insanity.

But, like, even to regular kids that skipped breakfast too, that wasn't normal, was it? Ella, I knew, ate three meals a day.

"Whatever. More for us, you guys." Fang said suddenly, and I sensed him shrugging. I held back a snarl, surprised at myself

"Hey, you call me Goth Boy, right? And Angel is Cute Kid? How about you be Anorexic Chick." If it wasn't so malicious, I would've laughed at the lameness of Fang's statement.

"You're one to talk, Olive Oil. _Men_ weigh around 150. You can't be over 105." So Mack knew how to fight back. And man, was that a low blow, implying he wasn't a man.

Did this mean I wasn't a man either?!

Hmmm….

Not cool, dudes. Not cool.

"What was with all that whimpering and crap last night? Grieving over your bulimic lesbian lover?" Fang snarled. Ouch.

There was a sudden, sharp intake of breath. I heard a bunch of crashing through underbrush, Mack's footsteps clumsy.

Nudge and Gasman were silent.

"Fang, you're an idiot!" Angel wailed.

"She's not even one of us, Angel. You're off playing _adopt a big sister_ while Max is being tortured!" Fang shot back, for once his careful control slipping.

"Hey, don't yell at her like that!" Gasman yelled back at Fang.

"OMG, guys, stop! Max wouldn't want us fighting. Oh, no, do you really think she's being tortured?!" Nudge cried.

"I'm going to find Mack." I mumbled, feeling awkward, and stood up.

It didn't take long for me to find her, but it did take longer than necessary because of tree roots and other crapola I had to sense.

"Hey. You okay?" I asked hesitantly. Her breathing was really off; fast and shallow.

"Why does he hate me so much?" She asked calmly, as if we were discussing the weather. But her breaths were still coming in short gasps.

"Because you remind him so much of Max. He really loves her." I explained awkwardly. Max and Fang's relationship was still VERY new. With her being kidnapped, it was liable to take a few steps backwards.

"Oh." She whispered.

"Look, I don't know what that whole nightmare thing was about last night. For all I, or anyone else in the flock knows, you _are_ grieving over your lesbian lover. But that was a low blow, even for Fang." Sheesh. When did I turn into Nudge?

"Should I leave?" She asked, still calm, but I heard the intense fear under it.

For some unknown reason, I felt extreme panic rise in me. "NO!" I yelped and heard her jump.

Then I heard her relax. "I'm smiling, Iggy."

**This was kind of a retarded chapter, but I wanted to show how everyone is sort of falling apart and turning against each other without Max. **


	18. Fade Out

**YES!!! FINALLY, THE ACTUAL PLOT IS INTRODUCED! TOOK ME LONG ENOUGH, HUH???!!! HERE IT IS, R&R!!!!!!**

**Mack's POV**

"Okay guys. Where are we headed?" Fang asked as the sun was setting.

We'd spent the rest of the day doing nothing, really. We'd cleaned up the campsite, erasing any evidence of us ever having been there. Then we'd just fooled around Knoxville.

Now we were back in the woods, albeit a different area, plotting our next move.

Personally, I was just glad to still be here _to _plot our next move. It had taken awhile for fang to cool down. But he had.

Thank God.

They'd also filled me in on a brief history of their enemies and abilities. I'd discovered Angel could send "mental images", most commonly used on Iggy. I wonder..

"Yes, Mack?" Angel asked out loud.

Everyone turned to look at me. Joy. It was times like these I really wanted to be wearing makeup.

"Could you send me one of those image thingies? Of the night Max was taken?" I asked.

"Why would you want to see that?" Iggy asked.

"Yeah. It wasn't exactly the best night ever…" Gassy agreed.

"Like, it was pretty much impossible to tell who'd taken her, and there weren't any signs of s struggle. To make matters worse, everything was muddy and smeared…." Nudge threw in.

"I doubt you'll pick up on something even _we_ didn't." Fang muttered quietly. I hissed-yes, hissed-in his direction. It always shut Christian up.

Then I sighed, exasperated. "Just show me, please."

Angel nodded, thoughtful. "Close your eyes, Mack."

I did so.

"Now, no mind blocks. Understand?" Angel's girlish voice was stern. Hehe. A six year old was staring at me sternly. How amusing.

But I did as I was told-for once.

"Here." She whispered. The only way to describe it was that something was gently pushed into my head.

I gasped; it seemed so real, like I was right there.

Instead of focusing on the thoughts that Angel remembered, or the flock, or even the trail of footprints, I focused on the mud itself.

It was smeared, alright. In one area in particular, way back in the trees that was hard to see from where they flock had been camped.

The mud was _too_ smeared. Like someone had covered a trail. Leading north.

How had they missed that? Too horror stricken?

Probably.

I carefully slid down mental blocks to let Angel know I was done. Angel had had her eyes closed too, apparently. Hers opened the same time mine did.

"They took her north." I informed everyone in a whisper.

Everyone just stared at us, even Igs. Creepy…

Fang stared at me, incredulous. "How do you know?"

"We missed a trail they tried to hide." Angel explained. "My theory is they landed or camped or whatever somewhere near us, then walked over and planted tons of false trails to throw us off. Then they covered up the real one."

Wow. For a six year old, she was pretty perceptive.

"Then we go north. But to where?" Fang muttered, and began pacing. I bit my lip, trying to think hard…

"You'll never find her, birdies." A voice hissed from the trees. Everyone froze.

Almost in the same instant I was surrounded by….male models. Um. Okay then….?

"Mmmm…..a new addition? She's gorgeous." A tall blonde murmured appreciatively, looking me up and down.

I would've been sort of flattered, but the flock all had on identical masks of horror. Well, except Fang. What? There were maybe ten guys and five of them. Plus, I wasn't totally defenseless. With their weird, hybrid-strength muscles, we could take them.

Unless, of course, I was taken hostage, and they had to tread on eggshells or I'd be killed. Ugh. I was such an idiot.

I felt the urge to run, but suppressed it. Maybe if they didn't know I knew…

"Um, hi. Who are you? You guys know my new friends?" I asked politely, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice.

Gasman slapped his hand to his forehead and I fought back the urge to laugh.

Blondie and his band of Merry Models all chuckled. "You could say that. Normally, we'd beat 'em to a pulp, maybe take a few out of your hair, but we're on strict orders to just deliver a message tonight." Ugh, this guy really needed a Tic-Tac.

A couple of the model dudes took hold of both my arms. Oh, this was not going to end well….

"What message?" Fang snarled, not even glancing my way.

"Stop searching for your leader. It's a futile attempt." Blondie growled.

"The hell I will!" Fang growled.

Suddenly one twisted my arm. I squeaked in surprise, but otherwise made no noise. The kids watched with scared eyes.

And then the man began to morph. That's the only way to describe it. One moment, he was a good-looking, built young man that might've had 'roid rage, and the next, he was a giant dog looking thing.

For the first time sense joining the flock, I was scared to death. I didn't show it though. I pretended I was Fang, instead, and merely rose my eyebrows calmly.

"What, did you mug Little Red on the way here?" I snorted. The dog man snarled and twisted my arm harder.

I restrained myself from making a face. Yep, that was going to leave a few bruises.

"How about I break this pale little arm, hum? Snap it like a twig." He growled.

"Gregory…" Blondie trailed off in a warning voice. The flock looked surprised. Apparently, torture was their thing.

"Fine." Gregory barked-literally-and loosened his hold.

That was when I made my move; I dropped to my knees, then kicked my leg out sideways and heard a knee snap. The wolf man to whom it belonged yelped in pain and surprise, and the other one yanked me roughly upright.

"You little," he began to curse, but suddenly Iggy was right there, and _his_ arm was snapped like a twig.

"Let's go!" Fang called, and it was like an army general had yelled retreat. Suddenly the kids were spread out, running in every direction.

"Fade out!" Fang yelled again, and apparently it was some kind of command, because as the wolf men began chasing us across a clearing, the bird kids zoomed into the trees.

"Come with me!" Iggy yelled, catching my hand in his own. I hissed when he roughly yanked on my hurt arm, and he cast me an apologetic glance.

The kids were no where to be seen. Neither was Fang.

Iggy and I ran quieter than mice through the woods, our footfalls perfectly silent and in synch. If I hadn't been so terrified, I would've felt just like the wood nymphs my mother had read to me about as a little girl.

We ran until we couldn't anymore, and until the baying of what sounded like hounds but I knew were really men had faded. Hadn't the Civil War ended crap like this?!

Iggy collapsed, falling heavily on his side on the forest ground. I went down with him, my hand laying limp in his. I didn't even bother moving it. I didn't have the energy.

"Oh, God, that was close. I thought for sure they'd kill you, or at least permanently damage you….maybe even kidnap you…" Iggy moaned, breathing hard. I focused on his chest's rising and falling and tried not to hyperventilate from panic.

"Do you think the others got away?" I gasped, clutching my side.

His unseeing eyes looked right at me. "I hope so."

We lay there for I don't know how long. But twilight passed and eventually it became dark. Iggy had long ago stretched out his wings.

And suddenly, I felt so incredibly guilty I felt breathless again. "Oh, no," I groaned.

Iggy turned his head toward me. "What?"

"If it weren't for me, you guys could've flown away, stuck together." I mumbled.

He chuckled without real humor. "Nuh uh. They were Flyboys. They had wings too."

I processed that a moment. "Their genes were messed with too?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Iggy?! Mack! Iggy?" I heard Nudge calling suddenly. She sounded scared.

I sat bolt upright. Iggy yanked his hand out of mine to push himself up off the ground.

"Ollie olive oxen free!" Fang yelled. I held back a giggle.

"Iggy? Mack?" Gasman called.

_Mack? Can you hear me?_ Angel's worried voice sounded in my head.

"We're over here!" I called, getting to me feet also.

The sound of crashing through trees. And then three bird children had crashed into Iggy and I, hugging us like there was no tomorrow.

"Man oh man, we though you guys had been caught! That would've been so awful." Nudge cried. I stroked her bushy hair.

Iggy slapped Gasman a high five. His aim was so perfect….creepy.

"You weren't scared at all, Mack. Even before you put the mental blocks down." Angel said quietly, looking up at me in awe.

"You're the weirdest person I know, but I'm glad you're okay." Gasman mumbled. Rolling my eyes, I pulled him in for a hug and he smiled.

"Hey man," Fang said, fist bumping Iggy. So he had been worried.

He nodded coolly at me. Well, at least it wasn't a, "Damn. Gasman, I owe ya ten bucks."

And then, in a burst of sudden intuition, I blurted, "Fang, find me a gas station."

**Hehe. This is sooo different from how I originally wrote it, but so much better. And longer! You like???**


	19. Of Gas Stations and Hotwiring

**I'm really sorry about that author's note!!!! I hated to do it, because I know I hate reading author's notes, but I felt I owed you guys an explanation on why it was taking me so long. As a consolation present, you're getting two or three POV's in one chapter!!! Yay!!!**

**Mack's POV**

"Finally. Fourteen bloody miles without a gas station?" I muttered. I had no clue why I was so desperate to get to one, but it felt right.

The place was a Shell station. I shuddered, pushing back old, painful memories. Just in case, I put mind blocks down too. Angel couldn't know. No one could know.

God I'm insane.

Fang pushed open the door and held it for all of us. Angel and Nudge rushed over to those useless little key chains and prize dispensers full of stickers and bouncy plastic balls. Iggy and Gassy went to the snack aisle, and Fang…well, he followed me.

Up to the cashier. This should be interesting.

"Can I help you?" The chick was blonde with black highlights. Or were they lowlights? Whatever.

She popped her lime green gum, eyeing Fang.

Uh oh. I knew that look.

Guys usually looked at me the same way. Fang just ignored her.

"Uh, yeah." I said and she turned her attention back to me, looking annoyed. "You seen a guy or possibly guys around here lately? Big, bulky type, look like models ? Around the last week or so..?"

Gotta admire my tactfulness.

She frowned. "Uh…why?" So she had.

Interesting.

"Did they have a girl about our age with them?" I asked next. If excited vibes were physical, I would've been tossed into the far wall by the ones Fang was giving off. Not that you could tell by his face.

The cashier frowned some more and flipped her hair. "Now that I think about it…yeah they did. Were going north on vacation."

"Guys, let's go!" Fang called.

I smiled at the girl. "Thanks! Bye!" I called, dashing out the door. The rest of the flock trailed along behind me and Fang.

I glanced around the small town we were in. the gas station was right on the main drag….Ah! That was exactly what I needed.

Every small town I knew of had it's local hot spots for crime. A popular one is old warehouses. There, people could store stolen merchandise, such as cars, set up gang headquarters….or organize a fighting ring.

The stolen cars were either sold to other criminals, or the parts were sold on eBay. And if the car was stolen from the original thieves…..well, they couldn't exactly call the police and report it, could they? Especially if all the authentic looking tags and licenses plates were fake.

"Mack, you're a genius!" Angel crowed, skipping along beside me. I laughed, ruffling her hair.

"Yeah, well. You pick up on a few things, being a part of a-" I stopped myself just in time and slammed down mental blocks.

"Huh?" Gasman asked the same time Fang raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Just follow me." I rolled my eyes and trotted down the street through the dark, down a hill, and to the warehouse's side door.

It was unlocked.

Today was just our lucky day, wasn't it?

I stuck my head inside and glanced around as the flock shifted nervously. No one was around, but the lights had been left on. Score! There were maybe ten vehicles in here, all in driving condition.

"Okay, come on in guys." I whispered, scurrying in and shutting/locking the door behind them.

"I'm not even going to ask how you knew this was here." Iggy said after Gasman had described it all.

"OMG, these cars are amazing! I love this color blue, it's like the ocean. Flying over the ocean in so much fun. Hey, Fang, when we get Max back, can e go to Hawaii again?" Jesus, didn't Nudge come with an Off button?

I moaned a bit when I came to the black '54 pickup truck. It was perfect, mint condition, my dream car. But I knew it would never hold us all.

Damn.

Angel looked at my sympathetically from her perch on the hood of a yellow bug. Her white wings were out, startling me. I'd pretty much forgotten they weren't human.

"Maybe when you're all grown up, Mack." She said, referring to the pickup, and I heard Iggy snort.

"We'll take this one!" Fang called, gesturing to a huge, fifteen passenger van. A couple of the back rows had no seats, leaving a big area back there free. Someone had installed soft carpet where the seats used to be.

Home away from home.

"This is great," Gasman approved, climbing in and looking around.

"Ooh! We could put blankets down, and pillows too, and live here Fang! That would be so cool, like a house on wheels. We could take a road trip. We'd need snacks in a cooler and coloring books. I Haven't colored in forever! I'm not very good at it." Nudge said, climbing in after Gasman.

"My ears are bleeding!" Iggy cried, theatrically stumbling around and knocking into walls and cars with both hands over his ears.

I laughed loudly and the sound echoed.

"Nudge, stop talking so much and help me hotwire this thing." Fang muttered.

They knew how to hotwire stuff? Sweet! I'd figured we'd just brake into the office and steal the keys. They had it started in seconds.

"Record timing, bro." Iggy slapped Fang's outstretched palm with perfect aim.

Creepy. Yet cool.

**Fang's POV**

Ha! Max isn't here to endanger everyone's lives by driving. I'd rather have her here, though, bad driving skills and all.

Iggy had called shotgun at the same moment Mack had, so after a very flirtatious argument, they'd decided to share it. '

Both of them being skinny and all, it wasn't a terrible arrangement. But in my humble opinion, Mack looked a little too happy. And if we're being perfectly honest here, so did Iggy.

Eh, whatever. Let Max deal with it.

Angel had fallen asleep in the back. Nudge, whispering sleepily to Gasman, looked about ready to join her. All three were splayed out back there like it was a king sized feather bed.

Out of the corner of my genetically enhanced eye, I saw Mack reach out to turn the radio station.

I could tell she didn't like me yelling or snapping at her. Well, she was just going to have to learn to live with it. And when Max came back, she'd send her packing.

The thought comforted me, so I made no move to slap her hand away as she changed the station.

That, and this song sucked.

**As you can see, Fangy is beginning to warm up to her. And by beginning, I mean by half a degree.**

**:D**

**The next chapter is somewhat smutt-ish. Yay!!!! Review???**


	20. Entwining Fingers

**Sigh. You people better love me. This is the longest chapter for this story yet. But it's also the smuttiest. Hehe. **

**Mack's POV**The clock on my ipod read three in the morning.

And Fang, the retard, was still driving. What was he, Gandhi or something? Because me and Igs were _starved_. But Fang seemed unfazed…

Iggy and I were also still sharing a seat.

Hehe.

_Bad Mack. No forming a crush/having romantic interest in fellow flock members._ I reminded myself.

Okay. So technically I wasn't a flock member. I was a groupie. But close enough.

Back to my rant on Fang/Gandhi. Seriously, we'd skipped lunch today. And my average is _one_ a day, people, not zero.

"Fang, lets stop at a McDonalds." Iggy said for the fiftieth time.

"No." Fang said, also for the fiftieth time.

"Why not?" I demanded. (Yes. This was for the fiftieth time too.)

Yet again, Fang said nothing.

"I'll pay," I prompted in a sing-song tone.

"Fine. If it'll shut you two up, fine!" Fang finally snarled. He was obviously exasperated with the both of us.

"Yes! 'Bout time!" Iggy crowed, slapping me a high five….yep. Still creepy.

For a moment, I imagined our fingers entwined together, but thrust the image out of my head. We'd been over this.

Fang sharply pulled off the interstate, causing a couple of snoozing bird kids to roll around in the back. Horns blared at us. Fang flipped a few people off, scowling.

I stared at him. "You have a serious case of road rage my friend."

He just shrugged and glared straight ahead. Stupid emo kid.

It didn't take long to spot the golden arches. We pulled sharply into the drive-thru and Iggy leaned across me to shout his order into the speaker thing.

His side was pressed against my stomach, his long hair brushing my ear. I could even feel his heartbeat.

I was pretty sure mine had stopped.

"Will that be all?" The crackly voice asked warily. Iggy's order was huge.

"Your turn," he whispered. And I giggled.

"Poor McDonalds employee. He should get Worker of the Month for this." I whispered back, then added my order to his.

"Oreo or M&M, ma'am?" The voice asked wearily, referring to my McFlurry.

"M&M," I replied in a _duh_ sort of tone.

"Your total is 68 .83. Please pull up to the next window."

Jesus. Seventy dollars for two of us?! Was Iggy really that hungry?

Fang pushed down a little too hard on the gas pedal, and I lurched forward. Iggy instinctively tossed an arm out to stop my fall. I brought his fingertips to my lips s he could "see" my thankful smile.

Stupid Fang.

Iggy smiled back and it seemed to me he left his hand on my mouth a little longer than necessary. But it was probably just my imagination. Or wishful thinking.

I handed Fang the cash who handed it to the sleepy cashier guy. He smiled and waved us on.

And yes, apparently Iggy was that hungry.

Where did he put it all?! Sure, he was taller than Christian. But not by that much. He ate it all quickly, too. Fang pulled into a parking space, waiting until we were both done.

I threw everything away ten minutes later, including Iggy's empty food boxes. Except, that is, for my McFlurry. Saving the best for last, I guess.

Just as I was about to put my heavily burdened spoon in my mouth, Iggy plucked it out of my hand and licked it clean.

"I haven't had ice cream in _forever_. Since us and the girls split up, remember, Fang? And you described those beach bunnies to…" Iggy trailed off, turning my way and looking horrified.

I glanced over and saw Fang smirking.

Beach bunnies, huh?

"Sexist pigs," I muttered under my breath.

Iggy chuckled uncertainly.

I plucked my spoon out of his hand, and reloaded it. Who cared if he'd eaten off it. Big whoop.

So I stuck it in my mouth, sucking methodically on the M&Ms.

Fang looked at me, and if I hadn't been observing him so carefully over the last few days, I wouldn't have noticed the tiny wrinkles he made in his nose. "You're eating after him now, too?"

I laughed, but my heart wasn't in it. Iggy liked beach bunnies? Those anorexic, blonde, long haired, colorful, too-perfect-to-be-natural-boobed, excruciatingly tan bimbos?! Figured.

My heart sank a little. But of course Iggy would want those perfectly fake people. Not a too tall, too skinny but not anorexic, un-colorful, pale as snow, natural boobed freak like me.

Oh well.

Just one more disappointment in my life.

I didn't say anything, just kept eating my ice cream, hiding the misery and pretending to enjoy the scenery. Not that I could actually see anything in the pitch black.

I didn't even _want_ to be in the front seat anymore. Now I felt like a little kid; or, like a little sister. As if Christian were beside me, instead of Iggy, tolerating me good-naturedly.

Sure as hell not in love with me.

_What did you expect?_ I asked myself. _This is your third night with them, not your third year._

But it felt like it.

"Here, you finish it." I whispered, handing Iggy my ¾ empty cup and spoon.

He took it, looking confused, and Fang scowled at me as I crawled to the row of seats behind us. Iggy stared after me, looking worried now.

"You okay?" He asked.

I smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "Fine. Just tired."

This was just more proof of what Riley had said; I was pretty, but not beautiful. Something to catcall at and enjoy, not fall in love with.

A year ago, in my _true_ hometown with my mother, I hadn't even been that.

I stuck my earphones in after pulling my ipod out of my pocket. Then I turned it on full blast, practically bursting both eardrums. This drowned out any thought or bad feelings. Just joy now; the joy of listening to music.

Iggy said something, but I have no clue what it was. Paramore was too busy wailing about a body like an hourglass. So I just ignored him, wishing the volume went louder.

This is how I deal with stuff.

I was doing a great job, ignoring Mr. Beach Bunny, and even got all the way through Misery Business and Bleeding Love before looking at him again. I wouldn't even have looked at him then if it weren't for him _climbing back here to sit by me._

I stared at him angrily, but didn't push his hand away when it trailed up my arm to my shoulder.

What was he doing?

He found what he was looking for, it seemed. His fingers wrapped gently around my earphone cord. He wouldn't. Would he?!

He did. Within a second my wonderful music was half gone.

"Give it back, Iggy!" I shrieked.

"No. Not until you tell me what's wrong with you." He reasoned calmly.

_Oh, nothing much, just shattered my already low self esteem,_ I thought.

But no way would I actually say that out loud.

"You can go ask Gabe back home, Iggy. If you touch my stuff, you run the high risk of getting punched. Hard." I warned him in a cool tone.

He frowned, confused. "Who's Gabe?"

Oh, yeah. He didn't know him.

"My little brother. Well, half, but whatever." I whispered, remembering his crazy antics, the way he'd cackle and laugh…

Man I missed him.

Hesitantly, probably to see if I'd slap his hand away, Iggy reached up and ran his fingertips over my face.

"You miss him, huh?" He asked softly.

I bit my lip and nodded.

"But that isn't what's wrong with you." He stated.

I sighed.

"Just give me my damn earphone." I commanded, exasperated and exhausted.

Iggy could hear that in my voice, it seemed. He handed it back to me. "Fine. But turn the volume down. We can hear it."

"Thank you," I snapped. But I did turn the volume down considerably, and put my favorite song on repeat.

Maybe now the gorgeous, sexist, beach bunny lover would shut up.

I lay my head against the cool window, calming myself down, letting myself melt into the lyrics, the beat…..

Almost asleep…so close….

But of course the blind kid had to screw that up, too.

I felt his hand on my hair, pushing it back from my ear. He took out one headphone-again-and put it in his ear.

"What is this?" he asked curiously.

I rolled my eyes. "Eyes on Fire, by Blue Foundation."

I blearily saw Fang's eyes go wide in the rearview mirror. "You like them?"

I nodded sleepily. "Yeah, but Three Days Grace is my favorite."

Iggy looked disbelieving. "You like that emo crap Fang listens to?"

"It's not emo," Fang and I said together.

I grinned at him. His face remained blank, but the corner of his mouth twitched. It was a start!! Score one for Normal Chick!

Well, okay… Normal Compared to These Kids Chick.

"Whatever you say.." Iggy muttered, putting my headphone back in place.

The contact made me shiver.

"Cold?" Iggy asked.

"A little." I lied with a small, shy smile. My entire being was on fire.

He grinned at me, and the next thing I knew, I was wrapped in his arms.

He'd pulled me down between him and the soft, long seat. His back, and mine, were turned on Fang, so I couldn't see his facial expression; I'm sure he was scowling.

One of Iggy's legs were between mine, the other thrown over top my hip. His right arm lay in the curve of my waist, twisting up so his fingertips brushed my collarbone. His left arm was underneath us, and stretched out to support my neck and head, so those fingers brushed my forehead.

My own arms were tucked in tight to my chest. And it was official. I was now a big puddle of lava on the seat.

Not mad at all anymore-what had I been mad about again?- I melted into him. In response he held me tighter, unfolding his wings so that they dangled over the edge of the seat.

They were so pretty. White and strawberry blonde, with a few tints of brown….

I fell asleep for the first time in a year happy.

And when I slid my arm up to brush my fingers against his, and they twined together just like I'd thought of doing, they fit together perfectly.

**Whew. That was crazy intense, yo. I'm in desperate need of reviews for this story…..hint hint. I'm beginning to think no one likes it. **


	21. A Call from Rebecca

**O.M.F.G. **

**Guess what?**

**This is the chapter that shall actually kick start this plot. This is THE chapter in which you find out…… where Taiwan is located. **

**Uh, wait. That was a typo. **

**This is the chapter in which you find out…….._where Max is._**

**What are you doing still reading THIS?! Go, go!**

**Mack's POV**

They are so _cute_, aren't they Nudge?" Angel was whispering.

Cute? Who was cute?

"You and Iggy, Mack!" Angel squealed. I could feel myself turn red.

"Oh, you're awake Mack? Cool! So, I was looking through your bag for a hairbrush I could borrow, and I found _this_." Nudge told me.

Ugh. It was too early for Nudge. I frowned, made a little noise, and burrowed my face into Iggy's chest. Wait.

What had she found?!

I cracked one eye open and saw me Blackberry dangling from her fingertips.

"You really shouldn't have this, but you're normal, so we won't tell Fang." Angel said sweetly.

I rolled my eyes. Whatever. As long as they didn't read my text messages, I didn't care.

"We can play with it? Really?!" Angel gasped, leaning so far over the seat her blonde curls brushed my face.

"Mmmhhhmmm." I managed, still worn out, and shut the one eye that was open. The two girls disappeared, giggling and whispering.

"What time is it? Where's Fang and Gasman? Why'd we stop?" Iggy asked suddenly in a quiet voice. I jumped in his arms. I hadn't realized he was awake.

"It's seven oh four, Iggy. Gasman and Fang are inside a station paying for gas." Angel called. Iggy relaxed noticeable again.

I groaned. Seven oh four. Much, much too early.

**Time lapse! Mack has fallen asleep again……..silly Mack. It's still her POV though! So here we go again….**

_They took my pillow. And my blanket. How come?_ I thought, noticing dimly I was alone in an empty seat.

I heard Angel giggle. Oh, right. Mind reader.

"You're really groggy when you get up, Mack." Angel said.

I yawned. "I know."

"And no one took your pillow. Iggy just got up is all." She added.

Oh.

I knew that.

Suddenly I heard vibrating. Uh oh.

I glanced at Fang. He said nothing as Nudge dug my phone out from somewhere.

"Here you go! It's some girl named Rebecca, according to your Caller I.D." Nudge handed me the phone as I sat bolt upright.

"Gimme!" I squealed. God, if it hadn't been for Rebecca, I'd have gone insane over the past year. She was my best friend from my true hometown….

She'd called me and kept me updated. I was never left out on anything.

"Becky?" I asked, excited, as soon as I hit the little green button.

"OMG, where were you? I've been calling you for, like, days!" She said accusingly.

"Sorry, sorry. What time is it now?" I looked around the van, disoriented. The stupid clock on the dashboard didn't work, which is why I'd had to use my ipod the night before…where was Iggy?

"Like, ten. You will never believe who hooked up last night!" She gushed.

Ah, the glory of gossip. Fang rolled his eyes in the rearview mirror.

I glanced now at Angel and Nudge, who were both staring at me eagerly and enviously. Poor kids….they'd probably never had friends outside the flock….

I ran a hand through my messy hair. "Who?"

"Austin and _Cara._" She said.

"What?!" I yelped. Austin, our Austin, with that whore?!

"That's not a very nice thing to call someone, Mack." Angel frowned at me disapprovingly. I heard boys' snickers from the back, so I assumed that's where Iggy and Gasman were.

"I know, right? I mean, she's such a skank. Aussie can do way better than her." Becky was rolling her eyes on the other end, I could tell.

"Of course he could." I said in the same tone.

"So, what's up with you? Your dad been giving you hell as usual?" She asked casually. I slammed down mind blocks; Angel couldn't know.

I was shocked, though. Becky never cussed!

"Rebecca!" I gasped and she giggled.

"I've decided its really no big deal. I mean, it's just another word. Right?"

I shook my head to clear it. "Yeah. I mean, uh, yeah."

"Yeah to my statement, or yeah, your dad's got a stick up his arse?" She clarified. I heard her slurping on something now.

"Uh, the first one." I managed, still scatter brained.

Angel was pouting at me, obviously trying to get into my head. I winked at her. Then I turned my attention back to my conversation.

"What? Where are you, then? You sound…different. More like your old self." She sounded worried, and I supposed she had reason to be.

I said the first thing that came to mind as Fang took one hand off the wheel to draw a finger across his throat in warning.

"Summer camp," I blurted.

"No, Gasman! don't put that wire there!" I heard Iggy shout in alarm. I got up on my knees to stare over the rows of seats and see Iggy and Gassy hunched over a bomb.

"Who was that?" Rebecca yelped.

"It's a _co-ed_ camp, Becky." I said in a _duh_ tone.

Fang was smirking at me. I stuck my tongue out at him. Stupid Goth Boy. Didn't he ever stop driving? He had circled under his eyes……and what if we'd already passed Max?

"Co-ed? OMG, are there hot guys?" Becky asked.

Iggy glanced up, winked my way, then turned back to his work.

Um.

What was my name again?

Angel and Nudge were giggling. So they had seen it too. It wasn't just my imagination.

"Um, yeah. The lifeguard at the pool is gorgeous." I said, making it up as I went along.

Gasman cracked up laughing. "Pool! Good one! As if we could swim with these." He ruffled his wings a little.

"Oh, really? How old is he?" Rebecca was asking.

"Twenty. So I'd be jailbait." I sighed sadly. Nudge and Angel shushed Gassy, very interested in my conversation.

How did the kids even hear Rebecca? They were spread out all over the van. Eh, oh well.

"Like that's ever stopped you before." Becky snickered. Okay, she had me there.

"So how's your brothers and sister?" She asked, changing the subject.

Guilt washed through me. "Good, I guess," I said half heartedly. I had no clue how they were doing….

"Mack…there's something you're not telling me." Becky said knowingly.

I was silent as the flock froze. What? Were they scared I'd crack just like that?

"It's a guy, isn't it?" Rebecca asked quietly.

The flock visibly relaxed as she came to her own conclusions.

"Yeah." I giggled. Thank God for my acting skills…..

Once again, Becky changed the subject. I swear the girl has ADD. "So…. Cara is having this huge party Saturday at her house. And since I'm Aussie's best friend, I get the privilege of being invited."

I bit my thumb nail, worried about her. Cara and her Clique were vicious.

"Are you going?" I asked.

"I don't know," she sighed, "Austin's tongue will be stuck down her throat the whole night. I don't have anyone else to hang with…" She trailed off.

I pictured sweet, nerdy Austin making out with the Clique leader.

Ew.

Why had he agreed to go with her?

"Now, if _you_ were here with me, I'd definitely go, just to tick her off." Rebecca laughed.

"Yeah," I sighed wistfully. "Remember how the security guards would flirt with everything there in a short enough skirt?"

Yes, I said security. Cara bathed in gold. And her parties were _always_ top notch.

"Which brings us right back to jail bait….." Becky teased.

Wait…that pricked a memory….

I'd told Becky about my being randomly arrested. She'd mentioned similar mobs on the news back in my hometown….one was at the abandoned Health Clinic….

Suddenly everything clicked in my mind.

"_**OH MY GOD!"**_ I screamed.

"What?" Angel and Nudge yelped. Iggy and Gasman dropped their bomb.

Fang swore loudly and pulled the van to a screeching halt in the emergency lane.

Holy hell.

They'd taken Max back to my hometown.

"What? What happened?! Did a guy walk in on you changing?" Becky's panicked voice came from the other end.

"Rebecca, I will be at that party Saturday." I told her.

"What? How? You're at camp." She protested.

"Yeah, but it's real close to home. Like, within walking distance. I'll bring a few camp friends, and we'll crash it." I said quickly.

The flock was looking at me like I'd suddenly announced I wanted to play Russian Roulette with machetes, blind folded, while clog dancing.

"Trust me," I said, not only to Becky, but to the flock too.

Even Fang The Rock Johnson looked appalled.

"Oh, thanks Mack! You're the best. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Becky cooed.

"Yeah, sure." I said as coolly as possible.

I was going home!

"Love ya, bye." She shrieked.

"Love you too, Becks." I smiled and hung up.

Fang smirked at me. "You are _so_ a lesbian."

I ignored him, getting rid of my mind blocks and allowing Angel to see the conclusion I'd come to.

She relayed it to the others.

"But there was a mob there. What makes you think it's still open?" Fang pointed out.

I scowled at him. This _was _where Max was. I could feel it. "I've got friends that live there, you know, even though I moved away. They go out at night, and see lights on in a supposedly abandoned, mobbed Health Clinic, they call me the next morning claiming it's haunted or something. And this is the closest branch of Itex or the School or _whatever_ we've found while going North."

Honestly. Why couldn't Fang just _trust_ me?

After a few moments hesitation, he nodded.

"Ooh! A party! This means we need good party clothes. We need to go shopping." Nudge squealed.

I sighed.

Here we go.

**So, there's a twist I bet none of you saw coming. A branch of Itex in **_**Mack's**_** hometown. Eeeeee! I love it when I get to the plot in a story. It took me awhile with this one, but I think it was well worth the wait……**

**Reviews??**


	22. Not Exactly like Max

**This one's for my bestest reviewer ever, Underlander from the Overland. You're the best reviewer I've had in ages. **

**Here's something I don't normally do; **

**Nudge's POV**

I swear one of my powers is the ability to locate malls. Within fifteen minutes of Mack telling us about the party, we were circling the parking lot of a colossal mall, trying to find a spot.

Oooh, this would be so much fun! I would need fancy party clothes, and shoes and jewelry….

"Alright, everyone out!" Fang ordered, finally finding a place.

We clambered out of the van, and I stretched. My legs hurt from sitting so long. My butt sort of tingled too. I wondered if butt muscles fell asleep….how does a muscle fall asleep anyway?

"I hate shopping." Mack grumbled next to me. I blinked. It was like she and Max were living parallel lives.

"Um, what do we need, Mack? We've never been to a huge party before." Gasman asked, looking around warily as we walked.

Mack sighed heavily, like she was about to poke her eye out with a rusted nail. Where does someone actually find a rusty nail? What makes rust in the first place?

"Follow me," she sighed heavily and I saw Fang grit his teeth. Seriously, the dude needed to perk up. It was a party for Pete's sake! He should be excited.

Hmmm…..who's Pete anyway?

First we went into Hot Topic. I love this store. It's so random and rebellious! Plus they have Twilight stuff. Who _doesn't_ think Edward is cute?

Mack browsed the racks like an expert. Within minutes, she pulled out a skinny black dress that didn't have sleeves just two straps. It was really short and had sequins surrounding the V-neck.

Okay, so maybe she and Max weren't _exactly_ alike.

Then she picked up some fishnet tights-OMG- and high heels. Strap-y ones with rhinestones. And she was already taller than Max even!

Gees, I loved her.

"You next, Nudge." She said, smiling at me. She was obviously able to tell I was bursting with excitement.

For a minute I literally pictured myself bursting. Ewww….

It took us a little longer to find something for me, but eventually I chose a hot pink dress that was zebra striped and matching ballet flats.

What would a _real_ hot pink zebra look like, I wondered? Or, ooh, a bright yellow hippo!

Angel got the same thing, but in blue. I loved it when we matched! It was like we were just like real sisters or something!

Fang and Iggy got nothing. Party poopers.

Gasman got camouflage pants. Seriously?! To wear to a party! The boy has no taste.

"Makeup time!" I squealed when we had paid.

To my surprise, Mack _didn't_ groan in harmony with the boys.

Fifteen minutes later, we were out of the mall and on our way out. Mack had even let me get a tiny bottle of perfume.

How cool was she?

Now she was trying-and succeeding- to convince Fang to let us get a hotel room when we got to her old town. How was she doing that?!

Well, if we were being perfectly honest, Angel's mind reading was probably helping. But still.

Max would love her, I just knew it. She wouldn't send our new sister away, would she, just because she was human?! I mean, she _was_ sort of like a sister now. A really cool, older big sister.

"One more thing guys." She said suddenly, and veered to the left. We watched her go warily as she rushed into…..

A technology store.

Ummm…..

A few minutes later, she was back.

Holding a digital camera.

"If I were your leader, I wouldn't want to miss a moment." She said quietly.

**Yeah, this chapter was sort of retarded. But it's necessary for certain plot points later. And besides, I wanted to show that Mack IS different from Max. Very much so. And this sort of helped that. **


	23. Mack's School of Dance

**This chapter is muuuucccccccccchhhhh better than the last one. I swear. A tiny but more smut, too, and everyone loves smut. However, it also helps to add to Mack's character: she's an amazing dancer. **

**So here we go. **

**Mack's POV**

I don't know what I was thinking. Stupid, stupid, stupid! These guys are so paranoid, they don't want to be within fifty miles of civilization. They hate cell phones, even. Why in the world would they want to be photographed?!

"I was thinking we could upload them to your laptop, Fang. The pictures, I mean." I trudged on. I was already charging my ipod off it; this was pushing it.

"Sounds good." Fang's approval sent waves of shock running through me.

"Seriously?!" I gasped. Angel and Nudge squealed. Iggy and Gasman moaned.

"Yeah. Max'll love it." Fang nodded, not looking at me.

Finally, Goth Boy sees the light!

In fact, I think he's getting rather attached to me.

**Time lapse to that night!**

The hotel that Angel had helped me "persuade" Fang to get-creepy kid- was really nice, as far as hotels in my hometown went.

We'd spent the rest of the car ride (three hours) toying with the camera.

The memory card itself held 900 pictures. Not bad.

"Rule number uno, no one but Mack or I touches that camera." Fang had said instantly.

And surprisingly enough, none of them were challenging that rule.

I was rooming with Iggy again. Nothing fancy like last time; just a room with a regular sized bed, TV, lamp, dresser, and phone. Oh, and a tiny bathroom.

Hey, at least it was a room.

Was this really only my fourth night? Would tomorrow only be Thursday?

It seemed much, much longer.

Our room was connected by a heavy door to Angel, Nudge, and Gasman's room. They were wedged between us and Fang's room. (He had it to himself.)

We were all hoping-even me, and I didn't even _know_ this Max chick- that Fang's room would have another resident this time Sunday.

Now I was lounging on the bed and scrolling through all the silly pictures they'd already taken:

Nudge and Angel with their arms around each other, grinning.

Iggy staring through cloudlike, but still curious, eyes in the camera's general direction. It was as if he were trying to decide whether or not his picture was being taken.

Fang smirking for no apparent reason as he drove.

Gasman laughing when Fang had thrown a pop bottle at my head-with incredible aim-for taking that last one.

Angel sleeping, her hair a golden halo around her face.

Nudge making a peace sign and sticking out her tongue.

Iggy with his fingertips on Angel's lips as she smiled while she slept.

Fang, scowling at wreck traffic.

Fang scowling right at me -and therefore right at the camera- because I'd just caught him scowling at wreck traffic.

Nudge talking, oblivious to Gasman behind her, covering his ears and making a face like he was dying.

I saved them all.

Whoever this Max girl was ought to be proud.

I looked out the window. It was getting dark out.

I sighed heavily, squaring my shoulders and putting the camera down.

It was time to teach the flock how to dance.

_Before _Cara and her Clique scarred them emotionally for life.

The adjoining door opened and a rush of bodies came filing in, Iggy the last of them. I'd sent him to fetch them all.

"Sorry it took so long. There was an incident involving a fire extinguisher, an old lady that was possibly homosexual, and a vacuum cleaner." He grinned my way. I couldn't tell if he was serious or not.

"Okay, okay." I laughed. The flock quieted down and turned to look at me.

Fang raised an eyebrow.

"You'll be attending a party in just a few days. A party hosted by very, very vicious girls. Girls that could scar you emotionally for life." I began.

Iggy chuckled.

"You think it's funny now," I muttered. Then, louder, I said, "So I'm going to teach you all how to dance."

Nudge squealed, Gasman went pale, Iggy raised an eyebrow, Angel smiled sweetly, and Fang just sat there, looking like he wanted to say, "Girl, you be trippin' if you think I'ma dance. Hell to the no!" But he couldn't, because he was Fang.

Okay. I could work with that.

I'd hooked my ipod up to the laptop so it would play out loud.

Phase one: Find out what they already know.

Not much, it turned out. Nudge was all over the place and looked basically like she was having a seizure. Angel was…ballet dancing?

Gasman head banged, got dizzy, fell over, and cracked his head on the side of the television.

Iggy sort of bopped up and down.

Fang just stood there.

Oi.

I hit the pause button, trying to keep myself from groaning out loud.

"I don't dance." Fang said flatly.

I sighed heavily. "Fine. Not dancing goes along with the whole, tall, dark, and handsome, yet strangely silent and emo vibe you give off. You're officially expelled from Mack's School of Dance."

Fang breathed a sigh of relief that was barely noticeable and escaped to his room.

Coward.

"You three," I said, turning to the little kids, "are a little young for this party. So you'll need to form a group, and stick to it. If you don't, you'll get trampled."

They listened with interest.

"So as long as you guys _don't_ try to dance or socialize, you'll be fine." I concluded lamely. But seriously, could you see these kids on a dance floor with a bunch of teenagers, trying to blend?

Uh, no.

Nudge pouted.

"You can, however, mingle a tiny bit. As in small talk. About the weather." I allowed. Nudge perked up considerably after that.

I sent them back to their room.

Now for Iggy. Hehe.

"Let me guess," he sighed dejectedly, "I'm the only graduate of Mack's School of Dance?"

"Yep." I giggled.

"Damn." He swore. I laughed.

"Fast songs are easy." I said, turning Cyclone by Baby Bash featuring T-Pain on. **A/N: No, I do not own this song. I do, however, like it a lot. So don't suit me, please. **

Iggy raised his eyebrows. Okay the guy couldn't see. It wasn't going to be easy to show him how to dance.

"Here," I finally said, putting his hands on my waist.

Slowly, I let myself sink into the music, raising my arms above my head, swinging my hips. I barely noticed as his hands traveled up my sides and arms, slid down my waist to my thighs. I twisted and spun, totally blissed out.

"So, the guy version would be like this?" Iggy asked as I restarted the song.

Iggy was amazing. No joke. The dude had rhythm.

"Exactly!" I said, grinning. Here, at least, was a promising pupil.

"Okay, so what else?" He asked, somewhat eagerly it seemed to me.

"Well, sometimes you'll have partners for fast dances, too." I said.

His face turned faintly pink. Eh, he was probably just hot. I knew I was.

"So, let's try this." I said, putting Cyclone on repeat. Then I slipped my arms around his neck, urging him to put his around my waist. Then I twisted so my back was to his chest and began guiding our hips back and forth.

"Umm…this feels a little…" He trailed off awkwardly.

"Intimate?" I snorted. He nodded.

"I know," I said, shrugging as we kept dancing. "But this is nothing compared to what some of the couples there will be doing."

I turned my head to see Iggy grin. He ran his hands up my sides, almost seductively. (There goes my crazy imagination again.) This time I did notice; he left a trail of fiery heat and goose bumps in his wake.

His long fingers ran up my arms until he found my hands. He took them in his and I slithered down him, to the floor, then back up again.

"All the _couples_, huh?" He asked, bringing my arms back to my original position. He dropped his hands back to my waist.

"Yeah. You know, like a set of two? Two dance partners?" I said, confused. So what?

He just smirked at me.

Ooh.

_Couples._

Oops. My bad.

I decided to just ignore this, and turned Cyclone off and my favorite one on. Eyes on Fire.

This time, Iggy didn't ask for direction. I didn't offer it. The song was slow, a change from what we'd been listening to, but he slipped right into it.

Serious now, his arms wrapped around my waist. I put mine back around his neck, but now I was facing him. You couldn't have fit a sheet of paper between us.

Every time the lyrics stopped suddenly, he'd jerk us to a halt, only to start back smoothly again.

He could _lead_ too? Was there anything he couldn't do?

We spun in circles, and at one point I threw my head back and closed my eyes. I let myself drown in the music. I didn't focus on where Iggy was leading me.

I trusted him.

I smiled as I bent farther and farther back. My hands slipped from around his neck and I felt his hands tighten on my waist, not letting me fall. my hands fell limply down past my hands.

My back was literally arched in half. It felt like I was snapping in two.

I loved it.

I loved Iggy.

Oh, God, I was screwed.

The song ended and he pulled my slowly back up, my body flush against his. My arms went back around his neck of their own accord.

I stared at him; he was out of breath, kind of red in the face, staring at me with sightless eyes that held an intensity I couldn't fathom.

I wanted to kiss him.

I wanted it more than anything I'd ever wanted.

Instead, I pulled away, taking a few steps back.

"You're really good." I whispered.

"Thanks." He whispered back.

And as I crawled into bed, facing away from him, I could still feel his arms around me. Supporting me.

Letting me know he wouldn't let me fall.

**Can't you just feel the tension???? I love it!!! Review please and let me know if the dancing was described right, please. **


	24. Describing

**Hehe. I love reviewers. I really, really do. **

**Now if my reviewers could pretty please give me a last name for Mack….now **_**that**_** would be awesome. **

**Wink. Wink. **

**Mack's POV**

"Fa-ang! I really want to stretch my wings." Nudge whined. "It's been forever."

Personally, I was a little eager to see them in action myself…I bet they would be magnificent.

I lowered my fork, thinking. _Was_ there a place they could fly undisturbed?

Oh, yeah! The old McGregor place! The guy had passed away two decades ago; kids had been using it to escape prying eyes ever since. No one would be there now, not during a beautiful day like this.

"That's perfect, Mack" Angel smiled.

"Where?!" Gasman asked eagerly. Iggy swallowed what was left of his hamburger in one bug gulp and looked excitedly in my direction.

"Not far. Come on." I left a twenty on the café table and the flock followed me out.

Not fifteen minutes later, and there we all were, by the rundown house and algae infested pond. It was surrounded by a wide open field, until trees took over.

"Go ahead." I encouraged. Fang looked around warily for a second before nodding at everyone. Gasman was the first to take off.

Within minutes, he was thousands of feet up, just a tiny speck in the sky. My stomach lurched. I was terrified of heights myself…

"That's silly Mack," Angel giggled, "being up high is the best part."

She took off running, soon joining her brother.

"My turn!" Nudge sing-songed, and her tawny wings lifted her higher and higher.

Fang said nothing, just snapped out his huge black wings and went.

Iggy hesitated a moment, as if debating on saying something. Finally he shrugged and smiled sheepishly my way then jumped into the sky with the rest of the flock.

I watched them, fascinated. They were all so graceful, powerful, strong.

_Fearless,_ I noted with a shudder as Gassy and Nudge suddenly dived several hundred feet before swooping back up.

After several minutes, they came back closer to the ground, only a few hundred feet up. Doubtfully, I pulled out the camera. Turns out, they were at the perfect height.

I got one of Nudge laughing, one of Gasman during a mid-air summersault. One of Fang, just hovering there like a beautiful, dark angel. One of Iggy and Angel, Igs flying several feet above the tiny girl, their arms straining as they grasped at each others hands.

That one was my favorite yet.

I shot several more, then put it away and lay down flat on my back. Just watching them. Not envious, not pitying. Just loving them.

Yes, even Goth Boy. He reminded me a lot of Christian in that he was constantly looking out for the kids. I admired that in a person.

Ugh. When had I turned into such a freaking sap?

I don't know how long they were up there….it felt like a long time, and yet no time at all. But I quickly grabbed they camera and captured them all on film as they landed. They fell back in the grass, panting.

Apparently they'd given themselves quite the workout.

"You're all beautiful." I' said quietly, not thinking. Then I bit my lip and blushed.

"Thanks. You're beautiful too, Mack." Nudge giggled.

"Not beautiful like you all." I protested.

"Iggy thinks you are, when you dance." Angel informed me.

Iggy turned a tell-tale shade of red. "Stay out of my head."

Then he got a rather devious look on his face.

Uh oh.

"Come here, Mack." He called. Hesitantly, I got up and went to sit next to him.

"Yeah?" I asked warily. Oh, this couldn't end well.

"Mack do you trust me? Really, truly trust me?" He asked.

Angel giggled.

"Yes," I said after a moment.

"Prove it," he challenged, standing up and holding out his arms.

Was he asking what I think he was asking?!

_He didn't let you fall last night. He won't let you fall today._ I reasoned with myself, biting back my instant fear.

He seemed surprised when I stepped into his arms.

Then he picked me up bridal style. I shrieked, then giggled.

The flock just sat and watched us.

Just as I suspected, Iggy unfurled his wings, taking of slowly. I closed my eyes and my grip around his neck.

I focused on anything besides the fact that the beloved ground and I were getting farther and farther apart. I focused on Iggy's supportive arms, his breathing, the _thump thump_ of his heart against my arm, the sound of his wings rustling softly.

I opened one eye just a little bit, not daring to look down. "You drop me, I'll kill you." I threatened.

He barked a laugh and finally stopped climbing, just hovered. Thank God. I quickly shut my eyes again.

Iggy shifted suddenly so that he supported me with one arm and I squealed. His fingertips skimmed delicately across my face.

"Open your eyes, Mack," he commanded quietly.

I did, but it took a lot of effort.

He returned his arm to its original position.

"Now what?" I asked nervously.

"Be my eyes." He whispered.

I blinked a few times. "Um, sorry?" I managed.

He rolled his cloudy blue eyes. "Describe everything for me."

I took a deep breath and looked down. Where had my stomach gone so instantly?! I gulped, trying to fight my rising panic. It was a losing battle…

"Well?" Iggy asked, impatient. I took another deep breath, closed my eyes, then opened them again. This time, I ignored the body numbing fear, and studied everything with a writer's eye.

"It's gorgeous," I whispered, relaxing for the first time since take off. "There's, like, three different colored greens all mixed together. There's these big pine trees, and they make these really long shadows. There's a creek, too, so shiny it hurts to look at it. It looks sort of like a thread of blue and silver. And the sky is so big! It doesn't seem real. The clouds are kinda like fluffy white boats." I stopped with a jolt. These weren't words I had just put down on paper. Those were words I had spoken aloud! To Iggy!

He was 'watching' me with such scrutiny I actually blushed.

"Sorry, that was corny." I whispered, squirming.

"No it wasn't. No one's that good at describing." He whispered back, looking awestruck.

"We should probably go back down now. I'm sort of heavy." I laughed, embarrassed when my voice cracked.

"If you say so," he chuckled.

He took his sweet time with the descent.

**Okay, so what'd you think? Don't forget to give me last names! **

**There's one more chapter before the night of the party, and quite a few time lapses coming up. Yes, there's going to be a lot of time lapse's in this story, because I hate filler chapters/paragraphs/sentences. **


	25. The Lights Were On

**Okay, this whole story might as well be dedicated to UnderlanderfromtheOverland, or however that's written. She's the best. Mack's last name is now Nicardi. Pronounced ni-car-dee.**

**Onward!**

**Iggy's POV**

I can't get the feel of her in my arms out of my head. Or the way her lips feel under my fingertips when she smiles. Or the way her voice sounded when she described all that to me…

Ugh.

I was whipped.

And what was worse was that I actually liked being whipped.

I heard Mack come out of the bathroom then, could even feel the excess steam roll out. I sighed, laying my head back against the bed.

"Hey," she said casually. How could she not know what she did to me? Those beach bunnies Fang had described had nothing on Mack.

"What time is it?" I asked. My internal clock sort of sensed that darkness had fallen, but it was always nice to know specifics.

"Around eleven," she said. Way to be specific, Mack.

Suddenly I felt something vibrate under my left wing. I yelped and jumped up.

My hand closed around a small, red plastic rectangle. A cell phone. I grinned; having a normal person around was nice.

"Sorry," Mack apologized. As she took the phone from me, her fingers brushed mine, sending a jolt of electricity up my arm.

I shivered a little as she squealed.

"What?" I asked and a button was pushed.

"Hello? Austin?" She gasped. Oh. She was talking to another friend.

The one dating a slut, if I remembered correctly.

I could easily hear what Austin was saying. Thank you enhanced hearing!

"_Hey_ Mack-aroni!" The voice was deep…and kinda giddy.

Mack laughed at the silly nickname. "What's going on?"

"HA! What's going on! She wants to know what's going on." Austin laughed hysterically. I could just make out others doing so as well in the background.

"Austin?" Mack asked, now sounding worried.

"_Yes_?" He cooed and I almost gagged. She wasn't a puppy dog.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Course I am," this time the boy's words were slurred.

Silence and then, "Austin James, are you drunk?" Mack used a stern, maternal tone I'd only ever heard used by Max.

"Baby, we're _all_ drunk," Austin giggled.

Anger flared up inside me, along with jealousy, disgust, and protectiveness. This little punk had just called _my Mack _baby.

Whoa. _My Mack?_ Where had that come from?

Besides, for all I knew, she was _his Mack._ His territory.

I shook my head a little to clear it. Damn bird genes messing with my head again.

"Don't call me that, Austin," Mack snapped. My heart soared.

"Sorry, Mack," Austin said in a much feebler tone.

"Now who are you with, Aussie?" She asked in a much softer tone.

"Darryl, Greg, and Hobie," after each name a rather crude greeting was called.

Idiots.

I heard Mack gasp loudly. "The jocks? Austin, are you insane? First the bee-yatch Cara and now those jerks?"

"You're on speaker, you know." Austin said and Mack swore loudly.

"Where are you, Austin? Does your mother know?" She asked.

I sighed.

Mothers were overrated.

"McGregor's Pond. Mom thinks I'm spending the night with Hobie." Austin answered.

"Dude, you are _technically_." A voice called. I assumed it was Hobie.

"I'll be there in five minutes, Austin, you got that? Don't leave." She instructed in a steely tone and I gasped.

She was going _after_ this dumbass?!

"I'll go with you," I said instantly.

I felt her walk a few steps forward, then felt her hand on mine. She placed it on top of her head-man, her hair was soft-and I felt her nod.

I smiled.

"Yeah, I understand, _Mom_," Austin grumbled.

Mack let out a muffled whimper.

Huh? What happened?!

"Oh, shit. Sorry Mack, I didn't mean to-" Austin started to say, but Mack cut him off.

"It's fine. No biggie. Just stay there, alright? I'm coming. Bye." And she hung up quickly.

"You okay?" I asked warily. What had that been about?

"Fine. Just needed to clear my throat," she shrugged.

Clear her throat?

Yeah.

I'll believe that when dogs sprout wings.

Wait…..

**I was going to end this chapter here…..but the next one isn't much longer, so I'll combine them. Okie dokie? **

**Mack's POV**

"I can't believe him! What's gotten into him?" I grumbled.

We had ended up deciding not to take the van. Fang might freak to wake up and find it gone.

Though why he'd be in the parking lot looking for the van at eleven thirty at night is beyond me.

So now we had to walk all the way to McGregor's Pond.

I was going to kill Aussie. It was just my fifth night with the flock, and my friends were already screwing around, making bad impressions.

I sighed; everyone, it seemed, had changed this past year.

"Wouldn't it be faster to fly?" Iggy asked.

"You can't see where your going, and I have no idea how to give aerial directions." I pointed out. Iggy sulked a bit at that.

We didn't talk much the rest of the way.

When had life become so complicated? _Five days ago_ was the obvious answer, but I knew better. Life had _always_ been complicated. For me anyway.

"Austin?" I called when we got to the pond.

Lots of laughter from somewhere, then silence.

"Austin?" I called again.

"Mack!" Cam Austin's voice and suddenly I was being crushed to death.

Jesus! When had he gotten so tall? He was taller even than me now, and he'd let his sandy hair grow out.

I shook my head a little. Somewhere in there was my little science geek that used to come over every Saturday to watch Charmed re-runs. Right?

He pulled away to grin clumsily at me. Idiot.

"Okay, Austin, Hobie, let's get yo guys home." I sighed.

Iggy gave me a small smile. I hugged him on impulse. He stiffened in surprise, then wrapped his arms around me.

"Thanks, for this," I whispered.

"Life was getting too dull, anyway." He chuckled.

Turns out getting two drunk teenagers home unnoticed was easer said than done.

And the lights _were_ on in the Health Clinic.

**So, there's that. I'm skipping Friday and moving right along to the day of the party. Nothing happens-nothing important, anyway. So, reviews????**


	26. Ready to Crash a Party?

**Wow. I cannot believe how much thought some reviewers have put into my story. I really love all of you!! Thanks so much!!!! **

**Mack's POV**

I took a deep breath. It was show time; the party would start soon.

And I would show my true colors. Even if the flock didn't know that's what I usually look like.

"Are you done yet, Mack?" Angel called through the door, banging on it.

"Just about!" I yelled back, swiping on some lip gloss. "Okay." I said, and threw open the door.

There stood Nudge and Angel, eyes wide, mouths dropped open.

I knew what I looked like; I'd boiled this look down to a science the past year. Edgy, Goth, and sexy.

My eyes were caked in dark eye shadow, and thick black eyeliner, setting off my pale skin and making my tiny amount of blush look just right. The black dress was slinky and tight; the high heels and fishnets made my long legs look even longer.

"Wow Mack! You look so different." Angel breathed, reaching out to stroke the shiny black fabric stretched across my stomach.

I laughed.

"You look really good, Mack! Kind of like a girl version of Fang. Ooh, I wonder what a guy version of me would look like?" Nudge giggled.

"Go get dressed," I said, and walked over to the adjoining door. "Are you guys getting ready?" I called.

"Yeah!" Gasman and Iggy called.

"I still don't see why we have to go. Why couldn't we have just busted Max out a few days ago?" Fang grumbled.

I sighed. "I have a plan, Fang, I swear."

He just snorted.

The door burst open, almost smacking me in the face. Iggy strode into the room.

"Hey, Mack, I'm having trouble with these buttons." He said, gesturing to his shirt.

"So?" I asked absently, distracted by his chest.

"So can you help me with them?" He asked, sounding impatient.

"Sure. Why couldn't Fang or Gazzy?" I asked, frowning.

He rolled his sightless eyes. "I don't know."

My fingers brushed over his bare skin. I but my lip, going as slow as possible….he shuddered.

"We're dressed Mack!" Angel skipped into the room suddenly and I did the rest of the buttons quickly.

Angel giggled as I whirled to face her. I grabbed a brush and began pulling it through her hair as she said, "Iggy wants to know what you look like."

Fang appeared in the doorway. I frowned. "Goth Boy, your collar is crooked." I set the brush down and went over to fix it.

"Mack, what's a prostitute?" Angel asked suddenly. If I'd been eating, I would've choked.

"Why, sweetie?" I asked as every graphic scene from _Pretty Woman_ flashed through my head.

"Because Fang just though of that word as a way to describe you to Iggy later." She explained innocently.

Iggy grinned.

I slapped Fang.

"Hey now," he snarled, and whirled, pinning me to the wall.

I glared at him and he glared at me. "Let me go," I demanded calmly.

"Make me," he countered. So I brought my knee up to his groin.

"Oof," he huffed, and stepped away. I smirked.

"Don't mess with me," I said sweetly, and went to do Nudge's makeup.

**Iggy's POV**

Ha-ha! Fang so had that coming. Max would never had done something like that, but Mack did.

She was amazing.

Her hand was in mine now, leading me along the streets of her hometown. She didn't need to; I'd wandered around NYC just fine.

But I wasn't about to complain.

"We're here," Mack sing-songed after awhile. I heard Fang curse under his breath and wondered what it all looked like.

"Wow! It's just like in the movies. There's a big white house, and tons of parked cars, and people throwing things, and dancing inside and out, and clusters of girls…" Nudge trailed off in amazement.

At least I knew what it looked like, even if my ears _were_ bleeding.

"Here goes," I heard Mack take a deep breath. Was she nervous?

I traced what I hoped her soothing circles on her thumb with my own.

_She's wondering if maybe you should stop holding hands because people might think you're couple, _Angel informed me.

I felt my heart sink. She didn't want to look like a couple, which meant there was no hope of her actually wanting to _be_ a couple.

_Not exactly_, Angel mind-giggled.

Creepy little kid.

"Hey!" Angel protested out loud.

I just rolled my eyes.

"Oh my God, Mack! I can't believe you're actually here." Some girly squeal came from my right.

Mack's hand left mine. There was the sound of running feet and bodies clashing together. Sot of like the time the flock got back together and Fang and Max practically jumped each other right there….

Good times, good times.

"I've missed you so much." Mack's voice was wavering a bit. The flock shifted awkwardly around me.

"I've missed you too. God, you've changed so much. Your hair…" Rebecca's wondering voice.

"Yeah. I've changed a lot. Come on, I want you to meet some people." I sensed them both coming closer. What did her friend look like??

What did _Mack _look like for that matter?

Suddenly an image, clear and real as day, popped into my head.

A beautiful girl in a hotel room, dressed to kill. Short, punk-rocker-style bobbed hair, big eyes framed in black….greenish brown eyes to get lost in…..

_That's Mack_ Angel said softly.

I think I might have melted.

"Which one is _the guy?_" Rebecca's voice startled me.

"The blonde one," Mack breathed.

Uhhh…….

"He's _cute_,' Rebecca said, but I could sense her unease underneath. Damn. I always knew the eyes would be a turn off.

"I know!" Mack breathed, and she didn't sound turned off at all.

Hmmm…..

"He's blind, right? Ooh, you could be like Jane and Mr. Rochester!" Rebecca giggled.

Mack giggled too. "We're such nerds. But that book rocks."

I felt her come right up beside me.

"So, everyone, this is Rebecca. Rebecca, this is…everyone." She trailed off uncertainly.

Rebecca received five greetings from us with various levels of enthusiasm.

"So, ready to crash a party?" Mack asked mischievously. Her friend laughed.

Oh, Lord. Here we go.

**Things are about to get verrryyyy interesting……..**

***Strokes chin in a dramatic way while smirking to self***

**Reviews??**


	27. Take Me On the Floor

**Mack's POV**

I wrapped on the door sharply. I really, really didn't want to see Cara, my merciless tormenter of two years.

I really didn't want her to repeat some of the things she'd said about me and my mother in front in front if the flock.

Especially Iggy.

Angel frowned at me questioningly; I shook my head to tell her that now wasn;t the time.

"You look great, Rebecca." I said, smiling at me best friend.

"Thanks. You're looking pretty hot yourself," she said, grinning easily back at me.

"Lesbian," I heard Fang mutter under his breath and made a mental note to kick him later.

She really did look great though. Her long brown hair was tied back, her green eyes kohl lined. She wore a tight blue jean mini skirt.

It was a huge step up from the usual ensemble I remembered- baggy blue jeans and a sweatshirt.

"Hello hel-" The door was thrown open, revealing a skinny blonde cheerleader. Her foundation was so thick you could peel it off and call it a mask.

"Mack?!" She gasped, disbelieving.

"Hi Cara! I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop by." I said nonchalantly, examining my nails, then looking back at her.

She scanned my outfit, her jaw hanging open. I could understand the shock this time. Never before would I have worn something like this.

Becky shifted beside me. I could feel her nervousness.

"Oh. Well. Do come in." Cara said through her teeth.

I smirked at her.

We all stampeded into the house, some more willing than others.

"Austin," Cara called into the house. God, it was loud and large up in this joint.

"Yeah babe?" Austin's voice came from the direction of the living room.

I followed Cara, and everyone else followed me. The flock looked very awkward. Becky looked so too, plus a little bit disgusted.

"Aussie, your friends are here," Cara said, attaching herself to him like some kind of barnacle.

"I know," Aussie said, giving us a blank look. That hurt; we were the kid's best friends.

"Nudge, Gasman, Angel, go find a clear corner. And _do not_ drink the punch." I said, turning to face them

"Why? It looks good." Nudge said.

"Just don't." I said.

Angel smiled sweetly at me, then took the other two by the hands and skipped off. I sighed in relief.

Fang looked around, bored. Iggy, poor guy, looked like he had a headache.

Austin was….distracted.

Ew.

Rebecca had found a girl across the room that I vaguely remembered and was talking to her.

"Now what?" Fang suddenly hissed in my ear.

"Now we wait," I breathed back. We'd be in the old Health Clinic by sunup.

"That does not sound like the beginnings of a very good plan." Fang growled.

"Look," I growled as Becky went to go find food, "we have to wait until everyone is totally wasted. Otherwise, it won't work."

Fang looked shocked, and furious. "Max's life is in the hands of a bunch of teen drinkers? I knew it, I knew we should've just bust in and out while we had the chance, knew we shouldn't have waited. You're going to screw everything up."

That was probably the longest thing Fang had ever said.

Fury rose in me. "You might not like me, Fang, and you may think I'm a future hooker. But I am _not_ going to put anyone in deliberate danger, like your plan suggests. My way, we get in and out in less than an hour."

Fang stalked off, shoving several dressed-up girls out of his way.

Becky came back with drinks. I knew it was spiked. I didn't care. Fang was enough to make anyone want something stronger than water to drink.

"So…see any cute guys?" Becky asked casually.

I glanced at Iggy, who was trying desperately not to look like he was eavesdropping on our conversation.

Hehe.

"One," I admitted, taking another drink. A warm feeling slid down my throat, into my stomach…

Becky smiled at me knowingly.

Suddenly, the music turned on louder. I couldn't hear anything, not even my own squeal of excitement. I loved this song!

Rebecca grabbed my hand and pulled me into the huge throng of people. We jumped up and down with the beat of The Veronica's "Take Me On the Floor."

When my drink ran out, I tossed the cup down on the floor. No way was I refilling it. I had to be thinking clearly to save Max.

I sang along at the top of my voice, laughing wildly. It'd been forever since I'd been to a decent party. This was _way_ better than dancing in the hotel room.

Well, besides the fact that Iggy wasn't with me. He was standing awkward, and alone on the sidelines.

I fought my way through the people, then grabbed at his hands and pulled him back into the crowd.

We danced just like we had back in the room, except to this beat. Quite a few people stopped and stared at us. The way we were moving together was driving me crazy…

Suddenly, Iggy grabbed the top of my arm roughly and spun me around. I gasped, and my eyes met his sightless ones.

He crushed my lips with his.

Rebecca screamed in shock beside me.

And every thought in my head flew out the window as I threw my arms around him.

**Sigh. I love smut. Don't you? **

**Reviews please!!**


	28. They Wanted to Get Caught

**Oh Jesus. I'm free handing this one. It's one of those blank places in my notebook that I simply put "Write In Fang's POV outside the health clinic."**

**Yeah. I really should stop doing that.**

**So please, no pitchforks and torches if this sucks.**

**Fang's POV**

"You ready to go get you're leader?" Mack asked, appearing beside me.

I downed the rest of the punch in my cup. I'd only had two, so I was good to go. "Born ready," I nodded.

She motioned to the kids in the corner, and they instantly stood up sleepily (it was around three in the morning, after all) and came over.

Iggy had lip gloss all over his mouth.

I decided I didn't want to know.

"Wait right here," Mack commanded all of us. She slinked through the crowd of people, and got up on the DJ podium.

"Mind if I say something?" She asked. The only way I could tell what she was saying was because I was good at lip reading.

The guy nodded and handed her a microphone. The music turned wayyy down and everyone let out groans and expletives in protest.

"Everyone having a good time?" Mack asked, like one of those announcers at intermission during a concert.

The crowd roared in approval.

"Well, guess what I just found out? The City Council has decided to tear down the old Health Clinic." She said, grinning like they'd all just won the lottery.

Where was she going with this?

"So what?" One guy slurred.

"So it's empty, and scheduled for destruction! Anyone got spray paint?" She crowed. It took a few minutes, and then the wasted party goers understood. There was a general surge of bodies, and everyone was headed out the door, carrying cups and coolers, confetti and crazy string.

Oh good God, this could not end well.

"Come on! They'll provide a distraction and we'll sneak in." She gasped, pulling her ridiculous heels off and running barefoot.

She tugged Angel up and onto her back in one fluid motion. I would've been impressed, if I hadn't hated her.

"I can run faster than a grown man, Mack." Angel pointed out as we scurried through the grass, following the drunken kids down the street.

"Yes, but I don't want you getting trampled when we actually join them." She said, gesturing toward the mob.

I was surprised someone hadn't called the cops. There had to be a hundred or more kids. Where were these people's parents?!

We reached the Health Clinic in fifteen minutes. I was sort of surprised. It looked normal enough. Run down, even.

But then, that would be Itex's perfect cover, wouldn't it?

The kids spilled onto the lawn and I spotted that Cara chick giggling madly as Austin lifted her onto his shoulders so she could reach a particularly hard spot to toilet paper.

"Get down," I hissed, jerking on Nudge and Gasman. We ducked behind some bushes.

Angel slithered off of Mack's back and joined us.

Mack and Iggy actually joined the large group of kids. The whooped and yelled and laughed. Maybe they were wasted.

I sat there, seething. How dare Iggy? I knew he cared about Max more than that. I knew he grasped the full tension of the situation. Why was he acting like an idiot?

And then it hit me.

They wanted to get caught. That was their way in.

"Mack thinks that if they both just pretend to be regular kids, some whitecoats will detain them and pretend to be normal too. When they're distracted, she and Iggy will find Max, bust her out, and meet us out here." Angel explained.

I frowned a tiny bit. "But Iggy is blind, and Mack is normal."

"Exactly. They'll be less suspicious." Angel nodded.

Whoa. I was impressed. This Mack chick was smart.

"But what are we supposed to do?" I asked, feeling retarded. Fang the Temporary Leader, turning to a six year old for answers.

"She thinks they'll send out a bunch of Erasers, to comb the area for lingering kids." Angel breathed.

Oh. That made sense.

So the four of us sat and watched as about thirty male model worthy men spilled out of the Health Clinic.

Lots of kids-girls, mostly- screamed. Mack had said the place was abandoned, about to be torn down, after all. Getting caught by occupants of the building obviously never crossed their minds.

A few kids, including Mack and Iggy, who didn't fight too hard, were grabbed by the big burly men. The others ran off down the road.

I watched as Max's rescuers disappeared inside.

**Okay, so how was that? Remember, this was all off the top of my head here. I'm back in the notebook after this. Reviews??**


	29. Residential Suites

**Mack's POV**

Oh, God. These wolf things-Erasers?- were huge. And ripped. And evil.

I kept my eyes trained on Iggy as we were dragged into the building. The other kids that had been caught looked terrified. I managed to fight back the terror growing in me.

What had I gotten myself into?

The Erasers opened a huge side door, and guided us down a long, white hallway. The floor was cold and slick with wax under my bare feet. Everything smelled anit-septic-y.

I saw Iggy's jaw clench.

No telling what these people had done to him, and the others, behind these closed doors.

"In here," the Eraser that had me growled and we were shoved into an elevator. Two other girls began sobbing and held onto each other for dear life.

I heard Iggy stop breathing, and gasped for my own breath. Was it just me or were the walls closing in?

I suddenly wanted to throw myself into someone, anyone's arms, and have them hold me and tell me this was just a dream.

But of course, I couldn't and it wasn't.

They took the other kids in one direction, Iggy and I in another. Oh Lord, that wasn't a good sign…

"Come on," Eraser Guy tugged harshly on my arm, jerking me down the hall. I rolled my eyes and followed.

Ugh. Did these guys ever take baths? Twenty bucks said they didn't.

"In here," he said again. I was beginning to wonder if these guys had a limited vocabulary.

Iggy and I were shoved into what seemed like an office. There was nothing in the room but an empty desk, and an old guy in a white coat, holding a clipboard.

Huh.

He didn't _look_ evil.

"So. We have two trouble makers, eh?" He asked in a clipped tone. I couldn't hear any kind of accent…

"Yes sir," said the Eraser holding Iggy.

"You, girl. You're from this town?" He asked, looking at me.

"Sort of," I hesitated. I was, and yet I wasn't.

Then came a sudden stinging on my left cheek, and a loud sound. It took me a couple minutes to realize I'd been slapped.

"You will tell the whole truth, or be punished." Mr. White Coat informed me suddenly.

Iggy was struggling against his Eraser, trying to get to me.

"I used to live here, but I moved, jackass." I said coldly and Iggy smiled hysterically.

"See, that wasn't s hard, was it?" Mr. White Coat chuckled. Then he turned to Iggy. "And you?"

"I'm a mutant, though I prefer the term Avian American," Iggy smirked.

Way to be conspicuous there, Igs.

Mr. White Coat seemed momentarily shocked, then grinned creepily.

"Ah, yes. I take it you've come for your leader? It's a pity her only rescuers are a blind boy-a failed experiment- and a less than average girl I'm sure she's never met." He shook his head, as if in sympathy for Max.

Well, at least we knew they had her.

My heart kicked into fourth gear. The whole reason I was with the flock was to find Max. What would she do? Kick me out?

"Get these two residential suites" Mr. White Coat waved his hand dismissively.

Uhhh….whhhaaa?

Turns out a residential suite is a friggin dog crate, reinforced with some _badass_ locks.

Iggy and I were alone in a room that was completely filled with dog crates. They lined the walls, littered the floors……

Whether or not the fact we were all alone was good or bad was yet to be determined.


	30. Six Becomes Seven

**Now, for the awesome of all awesome people…….**

**_Max's_ POV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

I'd lost count of the days I'd been here. Thirteen? Fourteen?

Did it even matter?

I rolled over on the hard bottom of my cage, trying to get some shut-eye. I suddenly wished the flock was here with me, just so I could hear their breathing. Know they're alright…..

_We are here, Max!_

I sat straight up, banging my head on the cage. Then I swore. A lot.

But Angel was in my head again! Man, I never though I'd be happy to say that.

_Sweetie! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where's the rest of the flock? Are they okay? Are __**they **__hurt? Is Fang taking care of you? Are you __**in**__ the School, or just near it? _

I immediately thought every bit of that. Poor kid; I probably gave her a migraine…I was breathing as hard as if I'd just run a race.

That made my two fractured ribs hurt.

_Um, the answers to those questions, in order, are: Yes, I'm okay, no I'm not hurt, the flock are here with me, they aren't hurt, Fang is taking really good care of us, and we're just near it. _The little voice in my head informed me.

I breathed a sigh of relief. My babies were okay. Everyone is okay.

_Well, Iggy and Mack are in there,_ Angel "said."

Iggy! No! not my blind pyro of a chef, the one who was so funny and sexist and considerate….

Wait a second.

_Who the hell is Mack?!_

_Language, Max, _Angel scolded before "showing" me everything that had happened when I was away.

Whoa.

This girl and I had a lot in common.

But she was moving in on _my_ flock. She was getting way to close to us in every way possible.

I glared at nothing in particular as Angel went on to show me how true and kind this kid's intentions were.

_Well la-dee-da,_ I thought. _She still isn't a mutant. _

Silence for a long time, and then Angel's thoughts intruded again. She actually sounded scared this time. _She won't be human for long, Max!_

_Huh?_ Was my lengthy answer.

_A bunch of whitecoats were thinking. Something along the lines of adding avian DNA to hers, to see if an older person could survive it. It was in fancier words though…_

Ice ran through my veins. A fierce protectiveness filled me of this girl I didn't know, or even like. She was what, the same age I was? And she was normal. She had a family, probably siblings even, that loved her! She had a whole, relatively boring future ahead of her.

And the whitecoats were going to take it from her.

I moaned and buried my face in my hands.

My flock of six had just become seven.

If this Mack girl passed my Spanish Inquisition worthy interrogation, that is.

If she survived the DNA splice itself.

**Okay, short, sweet, and to the point. How many of you saw **_**that**_** coming? And not all of Mack's ghosts/skeletons have come out of the closet yet…….**

**Reviews?**


	31. I'm Psychic

**I really, really hope you people have been paying attention to detail. Do you remember when Mack and her mom were in the car crash, and how she screamed "Watch out!" a few minutes before it? And do you remember when she ordered them to take her to a gas station randomly, and just happened to pick the one at which Max had been? **

**And do you remember how she just knew Max was in her hometown, even though all evidence was circumstantial? And how she can slam mind blocks down at will? And sense vibes/feelings people give off, even Fang the Emotionless? **

**I hope so, because this chapter is huge. **

**Iggy's POV**

Well.

This sucked.

I'd been stuck in this stupid cat carrier for hours now. My long limbs desperately needed to stretch.

"It could be worse," Mack finally said.

I rolled the useless organs I fondly call my eyes. "How?"

"They could've split us up. Or killed us. Or began experimenting on you." She pointed out casually.

I sighed. She was right. I just wish they'd at least put our cages side by side instead of across from each other. I felt isolated, over here all alone.

"Or, even worse, they could be experimenting on _you_," I pointed out. Fury rolled through me at the thought.

Those bozos had already slapped her. It had taken every ounce of my self-control not to start kicking ass and taking names right there.

But if they _experimented _on her…..

A doorknob turning broke my reverie, and I instantly turned my head toward the source of the noise. From the sound of the footsteps, it was the whitecoat we'd encountered earlier. Let's call him Mr. W for short.

He was accompanied by two Erasers, judging by the smell.

"Mack, is it?" Mr. W asked politely. Mack gasped; we hadn't told him our names.

"Yeah." Mack answered bravely, using that same casual tone.

"We've dug up a few key points in your history. Your much more than average than we'd originally thought." Mr. W was using the casual tone now too.

Mack stopped breathing.

What could be so horrible?

"I think your little boyfriend will be very interested to hear the story of your past." Mr. W chuckled.

Mack said nothing, not even to correct the status of our relationship.

"You were born out of wedlock, weren't you? A teenage, foreign exchange student mother, a father who already had a wife and a four year old son at home." Mr. W's voice was pitying.

Okay, that wasn't so bad. It was similar to Fang's background, now that I thought about it.

"Don't talk about my mother like that." Mack said in a tight voice. Was she crying?!

Then my brain made several connections:

Nudge had said the woman in the mall didn't look like her, but looked like the other kids. She had whimpered when Austin called her mom sarcastically. And now this.

_Her mother was dead.****_**A/N: Which we already sort of knew based on the dream, no?**

"Your stepmother did not divorce your father upon hearing of your existence, and the affair. Instead, you visited them when you became an older child. Your half brother, Christian I believe, didn't mind sharing daddy. After a few years, your other half brother, Gabe, and your half sister, Elina, were born. What your stepmother did not know was that an affair had happened with your mother a year before your birth. The child produced from _that _was a stillborn, however. Ooh, it's a bit like a soap opera, don't you think?" Mr. W continued.

Mack said nothing.

"You're a very good reader and writer." Mr. W complimented suddenly. I could hear the rustle of pages, as if he was flipping through them casually.

"Go to hell," Mack snapped. I smirked.

"And after the seemingly normal-if twisted-background, we discovered something _very_ interesting. Two years ago, a year before your mother's death, you were taken to a very special clinic, weren't you Mack?" Clinic? That didn't sound good.

What was Mack hiding?

"You were tested there. And what the people who tested you found was quite astonishing. They found you had an intelligence level practically unheard of in anyone less than a medical student, or NASA scientist." Mr. W had eerily lowered his voice to little more than a whisper. They must teach stuff like that in Bad Guy 101.

Okay, so my dream girl was a nerd. I could live with that.

"Shut up," Mack growled then. Apparently there was more to the story.

"They found your predictions skills were off the charts. So out of curiosity, they sent you to another clinic. A very different one. One for the supernatural." Mr. W was still using that creepy quiet voice.

What? None of this made sense.

"Those test results also came out highly positive, though in a different way. You and your mother made a pact, didn't you? Not even your own, unfaithful father knows…." Mr. W trailed off. "Well? Shall I tell your mutant failure of a friend what those test results declared, or will you?"

I waited, frowning.

"I'm psychic." Mack finally whispered.

The word seemed to reverberate in my skull.

_Psychic, psychic, psychic._

As Nudge would say, WTF?!

Well, it wasn't the weirdest thing I'd ever heard. I took comfort in that.

"You have thirty minutes before we begin the procedure, Mack." And with that Mr. W left us.

As soon as the door swung shut behind the two Erasers, the room was filled with the sounds of Mack's sobs.

"Hey. It's okay," I soothed awkwardly. What had he meant by procedure?

"No, it's not! My mother and I swore never to talk about those test results. We thought it was a bunch of bologna! I learned to ignore it and…and…" She'd been spending too much time with Nudge; she was talking way too fast.

The funny thing was, that whole "psychic, super smart" thing seemed to fit in with the rest of her. Her love of that emo music, her maternal instinct, the way she dressed like a hooker, everything. It all fit in to the puzzle that was Mack.

And it made me feel better, too. Even _normal _people weren't normal.

"Mack, calm down. It's not like I think you're some freak that should be in a circus. Angel can read _minds_, for crying out loud! Fang turns _invisible._ Nudge is a freaking magnet. Max has a _Voice _in her _head_ that tells her her destiny is to save the world. Chill." Now I was the one spending too much time with Nudge.

She giggled a little, giving herself hiccups. That was so adorable I could hardly stand it. Ugh. What was wrong with me?!

I'd just used the word adorable.

I'm a pyro for God's sake. I do not think anything is adorable.

But man, I was in love with her. I'd kissed her once, and it was a heat-of-the-moment thing, and would probably amount to nothing. But I was in love with her.

I would never make fun of Fang and Max ever again.

Oh, who was I kidding? Yes I would.

**Okay, so the next few chapters are going to have to be free-handed. Damn me and my past laziness….**

**Reviews???? I know this was a lot to swallow/follow……**


	32. Hurry Up and Wait

**I hope you people love me. I really, really do. It'd be awful to think I was free-writing three or four POV's in one chapter-one long ass chapter- on a school night, for people who don't care about this story or the mental health of it's author. **

**Sigh. Here we go. **

**Mack's POV**

I can't believe it. They found all of that out about me in less than five hours. An explicit version of the biography of my life, laid bare for all to see.

Oh, good God in heaven, my head _hurt_….

Iggy hadn't said much after I'd stopped hiccupping. I wondered briefly if he was mad at me for not telling him all this.

I sucked briefly on my bottom lip, wishing I had some gum or something.

A whitecoat entered the room then.

Carrying an IV bag.

The room began to spin and I felt myself hyperventilating. I tried not to scream or cry or go into full blown hysterics, like I usually did when someone even _said_ the word needle. Maybe they weren't coming for me.

Maybe they were just passing through.

_Yeah, right,_ snorted a malicious little voice in the back of my head that sounded suspiciously like my stepmother's, _there's only one door and he's headed right for your cage._

I whimpered and slid to the very back of my cage.

Iggy looked scared and wide eyed. "Mack?" he called.

"Iggy! Iggy he has a freaking needle!" I shrieked.

His eyes widened further at the terror in my voice. He began desperately clawing at the lock on his door.

"This'll be easier if you don't fight me." The young whitecoat said.

"Oh come on, can't we talk about this? I'm human, what would you want with me?!" I pled, tossing my pride out the proverbial window.

He just took out a huge key ring and easily picked mine out. He slid it in and opened the door.

That's when my fighting instincts kicked in.

I slammed my palm straight up and out, the heel of it cramming his nose into his nasal cavity. He grunted in pain, dropping the IV and falling back on his butt. Blood spurted from under his fingers.

I kicked him on the back of his thigh, hard, sending him sprawling out of my way.

I crawled out of my cage and picked him up by the head. Then I banged the back of it on the hard corner of Iggy's cage. He was out like a light in seconds.

"Mack, what's going on?" Iggy gasped. "How'd you know how to do that?"

"It's from a little piece of my history they didn't dig up." I grunted, rushing to the door. Shit. It was locked shut by a technical looking keypad.

"What piece?" Iggy gasped.

Several Erasers suddenly came rushing down the hallway. Whitecoats tailed along behind them.

I yelped and rushed to the back of the room. Of course, that wasn't going to help anything in the long haul. The only way out was through the door they were coming from.

It burst open in several seconds, and the people stormed the room. Several Erasers grabbed me.

I felt a burning, pricking pain in my thigh as a whitecoat approached me.

I looked down.

A syringe full of suspicious blue liquid was sticking out of my leg. Within seconds, everything went black. The last thing I heard were Iggy's screams and yells of protest as they drug me out of the room.

**Max's POV**

"The new girl put up quite the fight. Broke a worker's nose. Crushed it right into his skull, really. Knocked him out afterwards." An Eraser informed me as I was led down the hallway by my arm.

I was surprised by this information. The girl-Mack?-could fight?

How?

Apparently, they were putting me in the same room as Iggy now. I was so excited I could've burst into a rousing version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" but I'm sure everyone wants to view Dorothy the same way they always had, so I didn't.

_They're prepping her for the splice,_ Angel said.

I winced as the Eraser put more force on my forearm than strictly necessary.

_Keep me posted,_ I thought back.

After a few more turns to the right, being shoved down a few flights of steps for a few laughs, and being prodded down a few hallways, we stopped at a door that was just like every other door.

They typed in a fancy-chancy pass key and bippidi-boppedy-boo, there was a miserable looking Iggy, sitting in a large dog crate.

"Igs!" I yelped.

"Max!" He gasped, looking up and grinning. Oh man, I really wished I had a camera…perfect Kodak moment right here…..

"Is everyone okay?" I asked as soon as the Eraser was gone.

Angel had told me they were, but I wanted to hear it in person.

"Yeah, we're all fine. Well, not Mack. Do you know what they're going to do to her?" He asked desperately.

I hesitated, evaluating his expression. Iggy might act like a sexist pig 99% of the time, but I knew how fierce his love could be. Had he gotten attached to this girl?

One look told me he had.

I looked down at the bottom of my new cage. "Yeah, I know. Iggy, her chances of surviving what they're doing to her…..they're not high."

I heard his intake of breath, and then it stopped altogether. I glanced up and his expression-well, I'd never seen Iggy look like that. And Id' seen him barf up gummy worms for eight hours straight.

"They're splicing her DNA, Igs. They're going to try to give her wings." I whispered.

**Fang's POV**

It was killing me to sit here and wait like this. Anything could be going on in there. Sure, Angel was keeping us all posted and whatever, but this game of hurry-up-and-wait was getting old.

Fast.

The sun had risen. It cast brilliant shades of yellow and gold and orange and red across the sky, but I was too tired to see it.

I'd been awake for almost 24 hours now. According to Angel, Mack's surgery was going to take another 24.

So, twenty four plus twenty four was 48.…..and another 24 for her to heal enough to yank her out of there (if she lived) was 72.

Seventy two hours without sleep. Yeah, sure. No problem.

Well, okay, it was more than that. Add an extra eight for stops and eating. Eighty hours, then.

Yeah. Yeah, no problem.

_You have to sleep, Fang, _Angel's mind voice was disapproving.

Gasman and Nudge had crashed long ago on a couple of tree branches. We were still close to the School, but not right on top of it like we had been.

She was sitting right next to me, focusing very hard on her mind-wanderings. Her eyes had been glazed and unfocused for hours.

"So do you," I pointed out.

Her mouth twitched a little in a frown, but she said nothing.

**Angel's POV**

_If we take out the genes that make up this area of the shoulder, she could lose the function of this arm…but if we leave it we'll have to…_

_I'm so hungry. I wonder if Bert made tuna sandwiches again?_

_God I hope Mack is okay. That kiss was amazing. I want more. Please, please let her be okay. _

_Keep going, Max. You can do this. Fang is right out there waiting for you. Push a little harder. It's a treadmill. Don't let a machine beat you. _

_We'll need to inject growth hormones into these areas so her wings will grow to the fourteen-foot span literally over night…_

_This experiment was an utter disaster. It didn't live three full hours! I __**told**__ John it wasn't going to work. Putting frog genes into the embryo of a poodle! What was he thinking?!_

It was hard to sort out all the thoughts drifting through my head. Which were important, which weren't, which I needed to listen to, what information I could glean from them.

I sighed heavily.

Fang was lucky he got the easy power-turning invisible. The splicing of Mack's genes was going okay so far….

_Oh no! We're going to lose her! Her heart rate is changing too soon! It's going to fail! _The sudden thought centered around Mack startled me. I yelped a bit and squinted as I dug deep into the person's thoughts.

Mack's heart rate was speeding up to the tempo of ours-ten times faster than a regular person's. It wasn't supposed to do that until after the splicing!

"Angel, you okay?" Fang asked, looking worried.

"Mm." I grunted.

_There……whew, that was close…_I relaxed, sinking against the tree I was sitting by. That had been so scary…

_How's she doing, Angel?_ Max's voice sounded in my head. She sounded tired.

_They almost lost her just now, but she's okay. _I said, making sure my concern sounded through my thoughts.

_Good girl Angel. I'm proud of you. Keep on truckin', okay? _Max said.

_You too, _I managed before the sea of thoughts consumed me again.

**Iggy's POV**

The door opened softly and I heard the sound of several gentle footsteps. This was new. Nothing was every gentle around here.

"Careful. Lay her on her stomach. Those wings are brand new." Mumbling voices. The sound of a limp body being deposited in a cage. It's quiet latching. The men leaving.

"Oh God. Is that Mack?!" I whisper-yelled to Max.

"I think so. I've never seen her before." Max sounded curious and wary.

I moaned, yanking at the latched uselessly. I needed to get to her….

"Calm down Iggy. They wouldn't have brought her in here if they didn't think she was stable enough. You know that." Max said smoothly, but her voice cracked a bit.

"You know as well as I do that they lock up experiments only to die." I snarled, then bit my lip. I couldn't take my anxiety out on Max.

It seemed that now, Fang, Gasman, and Nudge weren't the only ones to be playing hurry-up-and-wait.

**Okay, that was all just free handed by yours truly. In the next chapter, Mack wakes up! Woot!**

**Review. Please.**


	33. Waking Up

**Whew. I'm back in the notebook. I know everyone thinks my freehand is just as good, but it makes me nervous. **

**BTW, if you're a Twilight fan, please please please go check out my other story in that category called "Have Mercy". **

**Okay. Now let's get on with it, shall we?**

**Mack's POV**

Ugh. Everything hurt.

_Everything. _

Body parts I didn't even know I had were in excruciating pain.

But the worst was my back. My lower shoulder blades, to be specific. It was in pure agony.

Something very heavy and wet and sticky and soft was there. But I could _feel_ it. It appeared I had some new body parts.

Interesting.

I fresh wave of pain washed through me. I couldn't help it. I really wanted to be strong for the flock, but I whimpered, and writhed, my body desperately trying to escape the pain even though it was inside me and I knew I couldn't.

"Um, Mack?" A girl's awkward voice. I didn't recognize it.

I could feel something in my arm-a needle?

I whimpered again.

I was laying-folded, really- on a hard surface. A cage bottom?

The burn of antiseptic was still on my nostrils. It burned. So I was still in the School. Lovely.

"Mack?" The annoying female voice again.

"Yes?" I croaked, writhing some more.

"How do you feel?" The girl's voice asked.

"Like I was run over by a dump truck." I managed.

The voice made no response.

I cracked open my eyes and saw a girl squatted down in her cage. She had matted brown hair, beautiful chocolate eyes. Her face would've been pretty if it weren't so stressed and worried.

"You're Max?" I asked.

She nodded.

Funny; she didn't _act_ like she wanted to kick me out of the flock ASAP.

"Where's Iggy?" I was so disoriented it wasn't funny. What time was it? What _month_ was it?

"Here, right here." I heard Iggy call and breathed a sigh of relief.

He was in his cage too.

The door opened. The same young whitecoat I'd nailed in the nose came in, heavily bruised. I snarled at him. He hesitated, the opened the door.

Iggy, meanwhile, was going crazy. He shook the bars of his cage, growling and screaming unprintable things at the whitecoat.

"She's awake!" The whitecoat called.

Miraculously, I managed to sit up and glare at him. Max looked impressed.

A female whitecoat with dirty blonde hair pulled up in a tight bun and round glasses came in. She smiled at me.

"Hello sweetheart," she cooed, as if I were an injured teacup Yorkie.

I stared at her coldly. "I've seen a movie with that exact line in it. In the next scene, the woman that said it kills the person she said it to."

The woman whitecoat blinked a few times. Her smile stayed frozen in place but I knew it was forced.

"Ah. Well, if you'd like, we can put you in the same cage as one of your little friends." She offered. I wondered briefly what the catch was.

Then I doubled over in pain.

Her face creased in a little frown, but she said nothing to me. Instead, she turned to one of the whitecoats behind her.

Iggy was still carrying on as she said, "How long will she be hurting?"

The whitecoat hesitated, then said, "A few hours."

She nodded.

"Put me with Iggy." I finally said.

She smiled and this time it looked natural. "Interesting choice. Alright, in you go."

To my surprise she helped me out of my cage-I thought my knees would buckle. They did; she caught me- and helped me into Iggy's cage.

He took me from her instantly, circling his arms tightly around me to the point I almost couldn't breathe. His strong muscles sent spasms of pain through my whole body, but I held back my cry.

As soon as they were gone, Iggy began feeling me down, searching for injuries.

"DON'T TOUCH MY BACK!" I screamed when his fingers skimmed across it. He jerked them away instantly.

Max looked rather alarmed at my outburst, but she said nothing in reproach.

I yawned then, suddenly exhausted.

"Here, sweetie. Sleep." Iggy directed, wrapping his soft wings around me.

"Oh gees," Max muttered as I dropped into oblivious blackness.

**Okay, good enough. I'm exhausted. Play rehearsals lasted three hours today. So there you go. Maybe if I get a bunch of reviews (hint, hint) I'll update again tonight. **


	34. My Head Is Crowded Today

**I really, really need to be sleeping. But no. Instead, I'm up typing this stuff for you loveable people who actually read what I post. **

**Max's POV**

"Here sweetie," Iggy said, moving Mack gently so that she was sprawled across his chest, cocooned in his warm wings.

I suddenly felt homesick for Fang.

_That's because you two are soul mates, _the Voice chimed in. I jumped.

"Oh gees," I muttered.

_Long time no talk, _I thought back to it.

_As are those two. Cute, aren't they? _The Voice acted as if it hadn't heard my comment. Can a Voice act?

But Iggy and this Mack girl-soul mates?

Could they really communicate the way Fang and I did? With just subtle touches or changes in tone of voice?

When Mack learned to fly, would she fly close by Iggy to touch wing-tips, the way Fang and I always did, to reassure each other?

_Awe, Max, that's so sweet. _Angel mind-giggled.

My head was crowded today.

_Okay, Angel, what's the plan for breaking us out? _I asked, shifting back into leader mode.

_Fang has a really good one. Nudge helped with it. She says hi. But we're not sure what the best way is to get out, with Mack and all……_Angel trailed off.

I cursed softly to myself. How _were_ we going to get Mack out? She could barely walk.

"Maximum Ride, your turn." The door flew open to reveal the whitecoat Iggy called Mr. W.

Grimacing, I followed him. Normally I would smart off or try to fight and get outa here, but Fang had a plan. I couldn't screw that up.

So let the torture begin**.**

**I feel mean leaving you with just that, so I'll give you a little more. In the next chapter, they break out! Whoop! **

**Mack's POV**

I woke up feeling a lot better. No pain wracked my body. Everything was just sort of sore, especially my back. Like I'd spent all day yesterday lifting weights.

I opened my eyes with effort and took in my surroundings. I was in the same room I' been in since I'd got here, except my cage door was left open across the aisle. I was in Iggy's now; wrapped up in Iggy's arms and legs and wings, actually.

Max wasn't here.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Iggy teased lightly, but I heard the worry under his tone.

"Max…?" I trailed off questioningly.

"Took her about three or four hours ago." Iggy said, scowling.

I glanced down and panic ran through me. Black spots danced in front of my vision. The needle was still in my arm, though the IV bag was empty.

"Hey, Iggy," I said casually, but my voice was a few octaves higher than it should have been.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Do you know how to take a needle out?" His eyes widened and he blinked several times.

Then he grinned mischievously, probably in an effort to calm me. "I think I can figure it out."

"Have at it." I twisted to that the inside of my arm was at his disposal.

"Tell me if it hurts." He demanded sternly.

I rolled my eyes. "Taking an IV out always hurts."

"Oh, right," he frowned, "well, tell me if it hurts more than usual."

"Okay," I squeaked, clenching my fist and squeezing my eyes shut.

His long fingers skimmed across the inside of my arm, making me shiver. Then he ripped the sliver of metal from my vein like a Band-Aid.

I held back a whimper and bent my arm a few times, opening my eyes. "Thanks."

"Did I do it right?" He asked worriedly, cramming the needle and bag out the cage door.

"Perfect," I muttered, licking my finger and rubbing at the blood leaking from my arm.

It was then that I noticed someone had taken the liberty of changing my clothes. Into a hospital gown.

My blood ran cold. Someone had freaking _taken my clothes off_ while I was unconscious.

As if reading my mind, Iggy suddenly said "After they tranquilized you when you broke that guys nose-nice move, by the way-they started prepping you for that DNA splice thing. I changed your clothes. Figured I was better than an Eraser." He chuckled, then wiggled his eyebrows. "I promise I didn't see anything."

I giggled, and suddenly remembered I had kissed him.

Hmmm…..I wonder if it meant anything that he had kissed me back? Rather enthusiastically too.

Probably not.

Someone dressed in a lab coat brought in a bruised and battered Max. they shoved her in her cage quickly, and left without a word.

"You okay?" Iggy gasped.

"Yeah." She breathed, panting.

Then she looked up, steel in her eyes. "Angel just spoke to me. They rescue us tonight."

**Whoo hoo! So there's that. Reviews to me are like crack to a druggie, so please leave some! **


	35. You Can Leave Me

**Okay, this is it. This is where they break out. **

**Fang's POV**

We were in.

Now all we had to do was find Iggy, Max, and Mack. Turns out that's much, _much_ easier said than done. How big could this old Health Clinic be?! "Which way, Angel?" I asked, peering around a corner.

Her eyes sort of glazed over for a second.

"Right," she said and we scurried down the hallway.

"Gasman, you got those bombs?" I breathed. I was really hoping we wouldn't have to use them.

He nodded, blue eyes wide and a tiny bit scared. He was doing his best not to show it, though. Maybe I was rubbing off on him.

"Good. Come on, stick together, and Nudge, don't even start." Her mouth had already been open to say something. I sighed heavily. How did Max do this all the time?

A few minutes, and some tiny scuffles with a couple of Flyboys later, and we were in front of their door.

It was dimly lighted in there, but I could still see.

None of them were in cages. From the looks of things, they'd just busted themselves out of them. Trying to escape on their own?

Max looked underfed, overworked, and pale. Rage rolled through me like a tsunami. All the methods of torture I'd spent the last thirteen nights, fourteen days thinking up all came to mind at once.

I tore my eyes off my Max for a moment to glance at Iggy and Mack. Igs was fine, but Mack was in seriously bad shape. Her movements were limited, like she was in serious pain but trying not to show it. She was paler than her usual vamp-pale, and her hair was matted with something-blood, from the looks of it. Her hooker dress was gone, replaced by a hospital gown sort of thing that was open until it hit her hips in the back. Her fishnets had been left, I noticed.

But her _back_- it looked seriously distorted.

Protectiveness flooded my veins, confusing me. I was just as enraged as I would've been if it were Nudge or Angel or even Ella in there. Just like she was another little sister.

Huh.

I turned my attention to the doorknob. It turned easily in my hand, but the door still wouldn't open. Oh. There was a handy dandy key pad thing.

"Nudge!" I hissed. She turned to me with a startled look that clearly said _What?_ but then she saw the keypad.

She took slow steps forward, and placed her hands on either side of it. She closed her eyes in concentration.

Within seconds, the key pad was dismantled and the door had swung open.

"That's my girl," I cheered, slapping Nudge a celebratory high five. She beamed.

"Fang!" Max shrieked and ran to me. I caught her in a hug, pure joy running through me as my arms wrapped around her.

I could happily have held her like that for the next several days, but Iggy interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can we skip the part where you two proclaim your undying love and find a way out of here?" He begged.

Angel and Nudge giggled. Max and I glared.

"Man, am I glad to see you, Goth Boy." Mack smiled wearily.

I frowned. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Fine." She said through her teeth. When she stood up, she winced.

Angel hadn't filled us in much on what they'd done to her. Max seemed to understand this, because she turned to me and whispered, "They messed with her genes. Now she's a bird kid just like us."

I raised my eyebrows.

Messed with her genes? But she wasn't an embryo. She should've died.

Eh, oh well.

"Uh, guys, incoming," Gasman's voice startled me. Iggy swore as we all rushed to the doorway.

Four Erasers, already phased into a wolf form, were trotting down the hallway, snarling. Angel met one head on, jumping and kicking her foot up and into it's chin, breaking both jaws.

"Good girl, Angel! Gasman, Nudge, take that one." Max called over the sudden noise.

Instantly, Gasman and Nudge were on an Eraser. Max took one herself, which left me one.

I whirled and snapped a couple of ribs with my foot. The wolf-man yelped, then snarled as it regained it's balance.

"Stupid mutants." It growled.

"I could say the same about you," I hissed, breaking the skin on my knuckles wide open when it dodged a well aimed right hook, causing my hand to hit the concrete wall instead.

Okay, that ticked me off.

I abandoned all fighting style and began simply flailing. Within seconds, the Eraser was down.

Max, Nudge and Gasman were finishing off theirs, too.

Angel was long done.

"Mack, Iggy, behind you!" She suddenly screamed, pointing. I twisted to see an Eraser armed with something similar to a bazooka.

With a feral sort of snarl, Mack grabbed for the _gun_. That was new. She twisted it so that his strong grip on it worked against him. In the end, he got his own clenched fist rammed into his jaw. He swore and staggered.

This left his right side open and I saw in an instant what she was going to do. She would kick his ribs, knocking him over, then kick his lights out. Or, at least, that's what I would do.

So I was shocked beyond words when that's what she _didn't _do.

Instead, as he lost his balance, she aimed her bare foot at his knee. I heard a sickening snap-she had dislocated it. He wouldn't be able to run after us, or to get help for his buddies.

Or go get more buddies.

"Come on!" She gasped and grabbed at Iggy's hand. We ran down the hallway, following her. Apparently, she'd been in this Health Clinic before, when it was open. She led us right to a staircase.

"Okay. The only close exit is straight up these stairs, through the lobby, and out the front door. The human guards up there change shifts in ninety seconds, so there's at least thirty seconds in which no one is in the lobby." Mack breathed as we all stopped inside the stair case room. (What are those really called, anyways? A stairwell?)

"How do you know-" Nudge started to ask.

"I'm psychic. Long story." Mack waved her hand dismissively.

I always knew we'd been missing some talent or other.

Hey, maybe we could dress her up in shawls and Marti Gras beads and give her some tarot cards, then put her in a tea shop and make lots of extra cash.

"Come on," Max breathed, dashing up the steps. We all followed her.

"Wait," Mack said on the second landing.

"What?" Max snarled. I knew she wasn't really mad. She was just stressed, and wanted out of here.

"I can't fly. The rest of you can. I'll only hold you back. You should all go and leave me. I'll get out on my own somehow." Whoa. I never saw that coming.

Max's eyes widened. "You'd do that for us? For my flock?"

Mack nodded, looking close to tears.

Max's face softened. "We're not leaving you. One of us can just carry you or something when we do an up and away outside."

Mack frowned, confused. "A what?"

Max looked like she wanted to slap her palm against her forehead. "Just come on." She ordered, and we all started climbing again.

"Go, now! Twenty eight seconds before a guard comes back." Mack shrieked, shoving the little kids through the stair's exit and into the lobby. They sprinted across it, bursting out the door, and into the sky.

The four of us older kids followed.

Iggy scooped up Mack and we all took off.

"Me Tarzan. You Jane." He said, puffing out his chest as we flew. I rolled my eyes. He was such a dork.

But Mack giggled.

Max watched them curiously.

I watched her.

Everything was right in my world. I had Max back, the flock was no longer under my authority, and I didn't have to carry around two heavy backpacks. (Nudge swooped down and picked all the packs and bags up from the hotel. We couldn't stay there, we realized, with Itex this close. We'd be caught in an hour.)

That was almost too easy, compared to what we'd all been through before.

**I realize this seems like an ending, but I assure you, it is not. This is midway through the second notebook out of six. And there will be even more of this story past the sixth one, so never fear! **

**Reviews??**


	36. Feminine Charm

**Mack's POV**

We landed sixty miles away, going toward the direction of the town in which I'd first met the flock.

Iggy carefully sat me down, and then put a steadying arm around me as I swayed.

"Angel, can you tell us what you know about what they did to Mack?" Max asked.

Angel frowned. "It's really complicated."

"Please just try," Max said in a soothing tone.

"Well, they switched some human genes out for avian ones. And they put excessive growth hormones in her wings so they'd grow to your size literally overnight." Angel frowned.

I gasped. "Those new body parts are wings?" Then I began twirling in a circle, trying to catch a glimpse of them.

Gasman chuckled. "You look like Total when he chases his tail."

I frowned and stopped spinning. "Who?"

"Our talking, flying, very opinioned dog. Long story." Iggy breathed.

My eyes widened.

"But she'll be okay?" Max pressed.

Angel nodded. "She's past the crucial point."

Everyone breathed a huge sigh of relief-minus Fang. Max winced a bit when she did.

"Max, your ribs okay?" I questioned, concerned.

She scowled at me. "They're fine."

Fang frowned. "Let me see," his hand moved as if to touch her midsection. She slapped them violently away.

"I said I'm fine." She growled.

Nudge ran forward suddenly and slammed into Max. Max made a little noise in the back of her throat as she wrapped her skinny brown arms around her.

Fang gave her a pointed look, which she ignored.

"I missed you _so_ much." Nudge breathed, looking like she wanted to cry.

Max smiled and kissed her bushy hair. "I missed you too, Lamby."

"We need a place to crash," Iggy said quietly, which was when I realized my legs were shaking.

"I second that motion." I nodded.

"A hotel? Mack seriously needs to get those wings cleaned off." Max said uneasily. I could tell she'd rather sleep in the open.

"Wherever _you_ want. You've been stuck in the god-awful place for two weeks." I shivered, but it wasn't from the sudden breeze.

Gasman shot a quick, panicked look at Iggy. "If we get a hotel, I want to room with Max," he said, and it was almost like he was asking Iggy permission.

"Go ahead, dude." He grinned. Then he frowned. "Just don't let her see the…you know." I sighed and rolled my eyes.

At he exact same time, so did Max. She gave me a weird look.

"Man, I thought _you_ had it." Gassy squeaked.

Iggy smiled. "Psych," he said, and patted his backpack.

"Not cool, dude." Gasman scowled but sounded relieved.

Nudge yawned loudly.

We found a town a couple of miles west, a really big one, with all kinds of cool restaurants and stores and hotels.

The kids perked up a bit, and so did I. Enough to force myself to walk, anyway.

"I'm starving," Nudge sighed, holding Angel's hand and looking at the darkened store displays with interest.

Max glanced at me warily; like she didn't trust me or something. Which she probably didn't. she was wearing her backpack now. It seemed weird to see Fang with just one.

"Mack, you need to change. Now." She ordered. It occurred to me through my exhausted haze that I was wearing only ripped fishnets and a hospital gown. No shoes, no nothing. I must look like an escaped patient from the nuthouse or something.

"Here's an ally." Fang said, pointing nonchalantly.

"No! No way. Ever heard of hobos?" I protested.

Gasman snickered. So did Max. "You'll dislocate an Eraser's knee like an old pro, but you're scared of homeless people? Which we sort of are, by the way."

"I'm scared of old, rapist homeless people." I clarified.

"Point taken. We'll go into a gas station." Max compromised.

We crossed the street, getting honked at a couple of times. People can be so rude.

"Not this one!" I suddenly shrieked. We were about to go into a Marathon.

"Why?" Nudge asked, raising her eyebrows.

"It's about to be robbed." I said.

Fang's eyes widened the tiniest fraction. Iggy gaped at me.

"Robbed?" Max pursed her lips doubtfully.

I nodded, sure of this even though I had no clue how I knew it. "A blue car will drive up in fifteen seconds. A Hispanic man with a white man at the wheel waiting on him will jump out."

Max ushered everyone over to the corner, carefully hidden.

We all watched as the car drove up. The man hopped out. Shouts, screams, and gunshots came from inside.

Everyone turned to stare at me, wide eyed.

"I told you so." I sniffed.

"That's just creepy." Gasman made a face.

"Let's just go to that one." Max pointed to one a few blocks down.

The cashier gave us weird looks, but let us in.

I changed into a clean shirt and put a bra back on. (The one I had been wearing had somehow disappeared during my surgery…. How disturbing.)

The shirt was a low cut, black tank top that showed a lot of cleavage; not entirely appropriate but the only clean one I had. My back was so _freaking _sore I hissed out loud as I slipped it over my head.

My jeans were tight, and not good at all to run or kick in. I hoped no Erasers had followed us this far.

I brushed my matted hair out, cursing when I came into contact with several knots. Eventually I gave up and put it back in the tiny ponytail I could manage with it all chopped off like it was.

Max borrowed my hair brush. She'd changed clothes too; a tee shirt that was also black and form fitting, if not low cut. Her new jeans had a tiny rip in the right thigh that actually looked good, even if it hadn't been put there on purpose.

I dabbed on some makeup, including my dark eye ensemble.

Max gave me a look.

"I'm hiding bruises," I said.

"Uh huh." She grunted, like she didn't believe me at all. I just rolled my eyes as I tied my pair of Converses. Having on shoes had never felt so good.

Nudge and Angel cleaned up next. The guys didn't groom themselves at all, and Max was too tired to make them.

"So, does anyone want food, or do we just want to crash?" Max asked as we left the gas station.

"Oh, I'm starving! Please, please can we go sit down somewhere and eat?!" Nudge begged.

"Well, that answers that question," Max grumbled.

The only decent eating place left open was a bar-and-grill sort of thing kin to Applebee's. it was open 24 hours.

"There." I pointed.

Max nodded and we all went in.

The boy behind the podium was maybe sixteen. What was he doing working here at four in the morning?

"Table for si-I mean, seven." Fang said flatly, remembering to count me at the last second.

The boy glanced up from texting someone who probably had insomnia. "Sorry. We're full. It's a football night."

They _were_ pretty packed.

Max had just opened her mouth angrily to speak. I clutched at her arm, giving her a warning look. She raised her eyebrows, then stood back, giving me a look that said, _Fine, you handle it._

I slinked forward, resting my elbows on the podium. I put my chin in my hands, and gazed up at him through my eyelashes. "Are you _sure_ you can't find _any_ seat?"

The boy glanced up, then did a double take. His eyes roamed over me, taking their sweet time of it, too.

"Ew." I heard Angel whisper and held back a giggle.

"Well, now that I think about it, there probably _is_ a booth in here somewhere." he agreed, winking at me.

I giggled flirtatiously. "Thanks."

"No problem. Don't forget to tip." He grinned and grabbed a few menus.

"How did you do that?" Max breathed, walking beside me.

"Feminine charm," I breathed back. "Works every time."

**Okay, in the next chapter, lots of things happen! Review please!**


	37. You Can Borrow Mine :D

**Okay- so I know a lot of you are expecting something to go very wrong in this chapter in the restaurant. **

**Well, sorry to disappoint you, but no. No bad guy ass kicking, no getting re-captured. Just them eating. **

**However, I think you'll like the chapter anyway……several **_**interesting**_** things happen. **

**Mack's POV**

"Normally, we tip waiters with money." Angel muttered, looking disgusted.

The kids were on Max's side. Iggy, Fang, and I were on the other side.

Iggy growled menacingly at that, sending a thrill through me that pooled in my belly.

A bored, tired looking waitress came up then. "What can I get ya?"

To say the least, she looked even more tired after getting all that down. Then she turned to me.

"You?" She asked warily.

I got a normal sized order.

The flock looked at me like I was nuts.

"Normal bird kids eat about 4,000 calories a day…"Max said slowly.

I just shrugged.

"Anorexic," Fang hissed, and I kicked him under the table.

Nudge giggled.

"You know, I'm going to have to learn to fly." I said casually after a moment.

"Yeah. We'll teach you, don't worry." Max said absently.

"And to fight. I'll be on top of you in no time." Iggy added; it seemed he was fond of innuendos.

I smirked at him. "Not if I incapacitate you first."

His mouth fell open with a little noise and I held back a giggle.

"But you seriously do need to learn to fight." Max said, as if struggling not to smack us both upside the head.

"I already know how." I said, shrugging. I didn't look at anyone.

"How?" Gasman asked curiously.

"Let's just say this- I didn't get all my cash working at a McDonald's." I sighed.

"I knew you were a hooker. What can seven bucks get me?" Iggy asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I'll spit on you." I offered.

He just chuckled wryly.

"If you had known what would happen to you…would you still have went with my flock that day?" Max asked suddenly.

Everyone turned to stare at me.

I played with my fingers, then looked up with steel in my eyes. "Absolutely. Without hesitation."

Max looked totally and utterly taken aback.

"Then welcome to the flock, Mack." She nodded her head in approval of me.

It took extreme power of will not to burst into tears. She wasn't going to kick me out!

"Here you kids are." And all talking ceased as the food arrived.

**Time Lapse-**

**Mack's POV**

"If you knock on my door before nine am, I _will_ beat you severely." Fang warned us, slamming his hotel room door on all of us.

"He's such a bright, cheerful soul." I snorted. Max grinned at me.

"You, you, and you. Shower, then bed." Max ordered, pointing at Angel, Nudge, and Gasman. (They were all rooming with her. Going through severe Max-deprivation, it seemed.) They scurried off to do her bidding.

Then she turned back to me. "Come on, newest bird/human."

I followed her to the room Iggy and I were sharing.

"Let me see your back." She commanded.

"I haven't showered or anything." I protested.

She rolled her eyes. "You think I care? Let me see. And no peeking, Iggy." She teased.

"Ha-ha." He said sarcastically, then sat on the bed with a worried expression.

I peeled my shirt off. My wings, it seemed, were stuck in a folded-up position. Ugh.

"Ouch." Max whistled appreciatively.

"Here." Iggy breathed. His fingers ran down my exposed back as I lay down on my stomach, my head resting on his thigh.

"Tell me what hurts. Don't lie, either." He said sternly.

"Yes, doctor," I mumbled.

"You're pretty badly bruised. And that's saying something, coming from me. Kinda cut up too. Does it hurt here?" He pushed down a bit.

"OUCH." I yelped in spite of myself.

"I take that as a _yes_," Iggy grumbled.

"Go shower, Mack. Now." Max ordered. She pulled me up, then shoved me into the bathroom. I heard our hotel room door click shut as she left.

"Uh…Iggy?" I called, standing there awkwardly.

"Yeah?" He called back.

"I don't….I mean, I can't…" I stuttered.

I could hear him chuckle softly to himself. This startled me; I would've never been able to hear that before.

"Need help?" He called.

"Yes please," I squeaked.

He came in and shut the bathroom door behind him. He looked in my general direction. "You're not undressed, are you?" he asked warily.

I laughed. "I'm not wearing a shirt. I am, however, wearing everything else."

He blushed faintly pink, then positioned himself behind me. "Okay. I'm going to open your wings. The space is big enough, right? Seven feet in either direction?"

"Yep." I nodded in anticipation.

Suddenly I felt his fingers on the new body parts- in my feathers?? Who knew.

He pulled just the tiniest bit and I felt it jerking where my wings met my back. Ouch….

"You okay?" He asked.

"Keep going," I managed, because even though it hurt like a _mother_, and everything was terribly sore and stiff, I needed to stretch.

He pulled a lot more, and this time I cried out.

"Shhh." He soothed, rubbing circles on my neck for a minute.

By the time he was finished, I had tears streaming down my face. Damn allergies.

"I'm sorry," Igs whispered over and over, in front of me now. He smoothed back my hair.

"Not you fault," I gasped.

"God, I hate this! You shouldn't be in pain." He groaned. I smiled, but it was watery.

"I've been in worse pain." I resisted the urge to shrug.

He scoffed. "Worse than having your DNA spliced?"

I frowned. "Did I say it was physical?"

He frowned too at that. I was too busy focusing on flapping my wings feebly. I couldn't even tell what color they were under all that dried gunk.

"God, that is _so weird and so cool_ at the same time." I breathed.

Suddenly I felt hands on my face. Iggy's hands. What was he-?

And then his lips were on my face; my nose my chin, my jaw, my forehead, my eyelids. Anywhere but my lips.

I smiled and felt him smile too. Then he pulled back and gave himself a little shake.

"Okay. Bath time." He smiled.

What had he meant by kissing me? Did he want me like I wanted him?

He smiled as I continued to stand there. "Get in the shower, Mack. But please, leave a few articles of clothing on."

I scowled at him, then studied him intently. When he'd turned, something shiny had caught my eye…

I slipped my shoes and socks off, then padded over to him. Carefully I folded my wings in closer to my body, wincing when they protested.

"What?" He asked self-consciously.

I didn't answer. Instead I reached up to push his long hair behind his ear. Then I trailed my fingers down it (he shivered) to the golden loop hanging there.

"You have a pierced ear?" I asked casually, tugging on it a little. That tingle was back, spreading to my lower abdomen….lower…..

"Yeah. I got it in New York." He grinned.

"Huh." I said, and stepped around him to start the shower. I slipped everything but my underwear and bra off. I waited as the water got warm, then hot, then _scalding_, and stepped in.

I moaned when the hot water hit me. It felt so good.

Iggy laughed. "Need me yet?"

"Mmmm. Nope, not yet." I said, then washed my hair, and shaved, and everything else. I hissed when the soap stung my cuts.

"Okay," I said when through, "you can get in now. But please leave your boxers _on_."

"Yes ma'am," he said, chuckling.

Seconds later, he was right there in the water and steam with me.

I let me eyes roam over him. He couldn't catch me at it, after all. He was so perfect. I had the sudden urge to trace the paths the water droplets were forming with my fingertips…

"Turn around," he ordered after a minute.

I did so without question. I trusted him. Completely.

Soon, I felt his fingers carefully combing through my feathers, along with slick stuff I dubbed shampoo. Then his hands slipped under the folds. Ooh! So I _didn't_ have to unfurl them! Cool!

"See?" He asked. There was something under his casual tone. Something I couldn't quite place.

I moaned a bit when the water washed the soap out and he withdrew his fingers.

"My turn," he grinned and I think I might've had a stroke.

I watched as he carelessly threw shampoo in his hair, revealing the soft skin of his sides, the hair under his arms…

I clutched at the edge of the shower curtain and _tried_ to breathe.

"You want to do my wings? Just for practice, so you'll know how to do your own." He offered.

"Oh. Okay." I agreed, praying I did this right.

I slipped my soapy hands into his wings. They were white, with tan, blonde-ish, and strawberry colored patches.

He really was gorgeous.

"Like this?" I asked, self-conscious.

"Perfect." He smiled and I smiled too.

I brought my hands out, watching him. He hesitated only a moment, then moved, spinning faster than I would've thought possible in the small shower. He backed me up until I was pinned against the warm wall. His hands were on either side of my face.

"God, Mack. You're driving me crazy." He growled.

Hurt, I frowned and looked down. "Sorry."

Iggy found my chin with no difficulty. Using two fingers, he lifted it back up.

"It's the good kind of crazy." He breathed. He slowly ducked his head until his lips found my bare shoulder.

I almost collapsed. What was he doing? Did this mean he-?

Iggy's lips slowly felt their way up my neck and throat. I instinctively turned my head to the side to give him better access and felt him smile.

I tried to smile too, but my body had turned to hot candle wax, so I wasn't sure if I actually accomplished that facial expression or not.

Iggy's lips had found my jaw. Slowly, I titled my head back up and his lips brushed mine.

Oh, _God_….

His mouth worked slowly over mine at first. It took a couple of seconds for my brain to tell my lips, _Kiss him back, moron,_ but it did. And I did.

Tentatively at first, I moved my lips against his. Normally I was very bold, but this was Iggy. I didn't want to screw it up.

I moved my hands until they were tangled in his wet hair. He seemed to like that. He forced my head up and back farther; tilted at a better angle for him to kiss me, I guess. I wasn't complaining.

His tongue brushed against my lip and I quickly opened my mouth. I could tell he wanted complete control over the situation, but I'm a fighter by nature. So I had my tongue meet his in the middle, barring his entrance.

After awhile, though, I got tired of this and just let him explore.

He didn't go very far at first- in for a few seconds, then back out. Teasing me. Eventually his hunger got the best of him, and I felt his tongue against my molars, the roof og my mouth….everywhere.

I pulled away and he frowned. I brought one of his fingertips to my lips so he could feel my smile. "Be patient." I whispered.

I kissed his fingertips, then kissed his lips, his jaw, that sensitive spot under his ear.

He groaned and I grinned.

_Slow down,_ I cautioned myself.

Reluctantly, I detangled myself from him and shut the water off.

"I don't have any clean clothes." I frowned suddenly. My last pair of underwear was now soaked through.

"You could always borrow mine," Iggy grinned.

"Just for tonight. We'll find a washer in the morning." I nodded.

He wrapped a towel around my sore shoulders and then threw one around himself. The atmosphere was much less intense, and I found I could breathe again.

Iggy came back several minutes later dressed in just a dry pair of boxers. I bit my lip as he gave me a singed, oversized tee shirt that would surely swamp me. A pair of boxers, too.

Huh.

No wonder guys liked these. Very roomy.

_Christian would die, _I thought with glee.

I ran a brush through my hair, suddenly filled with an ache. I missed my brothers and sister. I hoped they were okay, alone with _them._

Iggy was sprawled across the bed when I came out. The room was dark except for the TV, which was on mute.

"C'mere," he whispered sleepily.

I yawned, feeling suddenly very, very exhausted. I crawled into his arms, under the covers, and slept.

**Yeah, this totally makes up for lack of violence. At least, in my opinion. And now you see why this may have to move up in rating……**

**Reviews????**


	38. It's Not Nine Yet

Okay, so I thought about doing this from Max's POV…..but ended up doing it in Fangy's. He's just so much fun to work with now that Max is back.

Fang's POV

Someone was knocking quietly at my door.

Before nine.

Unless one of the flock members were _dying_, someone had been _bird-kidnapped, _or the damn hotel was on _fire_, I didn't want to know.

But I got out of bed and rug myself to the door anyway. Angel probably had another nightmare or something.

"Hey." Max smiled nervously when I opened the door.

Whoosh-goodbye anger. And sleepiness.

"You okay?" I asked.

Typical Fang. Blurt out the first thing that comes to freaking mind instead of using some slick-as-Iggy line like, "Took you long enough, babe."

She nodded. "Can I come in?"

No, I'm going to ask you to stay in the hallway.

I nodded and stepped aside. She surprised me then-instead of sitting in one of the we-hope-you-hate-your-stay-here-armchairs the hotel had lovingly provided us with, she _got in my bed. Under the covers. _

She curled up in the exact spot I'd occupied moments before.

Not that any of this mattered.

"Need something?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Earplugs. Gasman snores." She frowned and yawned.

I said nothing, just stared at her. Thinking things that only belonged in those sappy Nicholas Sparks novels that Ella was always reading.

"What?" She asked, fidgeting self consciously.

"Nothing." I murmured.

I watched her expression as I carefully crawled into the bed beside her. Her eyes widened, but she said nothing.

I smirked at her, watching with extreme pleasure as she blushed.

Haha. I could make _Max_ blush.

We were so close now all I would have to do was barely even move to stroke my fingers across her face….one of her legs was already pressed against mine.

"I have something important to tell you." She breathed.

"So tell me," I said, and I _did_ reach out, pushing some stray hair behind her ear.

"The Voice told me something, back in the School. And before, on the plane to save my mom."

I stared at her expectantly. She peeked at me through her eyelids, then squeezed them shut again and took a deep breath.

"." She blurted in one huge sentence.

"Um." I managed.

She opened her eyes. "Okay that's all. We're heading out at ten tomorrow, so be ready." She squeaked and moved as if to get up.

Quickly I rolled and trapped her under me, straddling her upper thighs…..I tried not to think too hard about it.

Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and got angry.

I held my ground, watching her expressions change; bewilderment, surprise, fear, then finally anger.

Her fury seemed to trigger some of my own. "_Don't_ run from me, Max." I growled. I had no clue where this was all coming from suddenly.

"I'm not running, you idiot. I'm going back to my room to get some freaking sleep." She muttered, not meeting my eyes.

"Why can't you sleep here?" I asked casually.

"Angel might need me, or Nudge or Gasman. They'll freak if I'm not there when they wake up." She said too quickly.

I rolled my eyes. "Angel will find you telepathically in seconds."

"I don't want to sleep here," she said, again too quickly.

More fury rolled through me. I thought we were passed all this crap.

Some weird instinct hit me then and I changed tactics. This was sure to throw her off…

I let my body turn gentle and all the tension melt away. Then I leaned down until my lips were barely a centimeter away from her ear and whispered, "Don't you?"

She shivered and her breathing turned ragged.

The Fang inside me that sang show tunes and whistled and rode pink unicorns did a happy dance. _I made Max shiver, I made Max shiver…nah nah nah nah nah, nah…_

"No," she managed, but it was strangled.

I raised my head up slowly and tilted it, keeping my face blank but probably still managing to look curious.

"You don't need me?" I inquired. Oh yeah, that's me; Fang the Smooth. Most of the time.

Max rolled her eyes. "Don't be retarded. I need all five-now six-of you."

"But you don't need me like this?" I whispered and trailed my lips slowly up her jaw…

"Ow, Fang!" She gasped suddenly. I sat up with a jerk and she glanced pointedly at her ribs.

But Max never admitted injuries….this must be a tactic of her own.

I wasn't about to let her get away with it.

"Which one?" I asked, frowning a tiny bit.

"The third one up on the left." She said instantly.

Keeping my eyes on hers I slowly raised her shirt up above her belly button. Then I glanced down.

One rib was a mottled purple. I knew it would heal in two days or so, but it still really ticked me off…someone had done this to her.

I smirked at her again and before she could say anything, bent and put my lips to her hurt rib.

She gasped and went completely still.

"No, Fang," she finally snarled.

"Why?" I breathed, sending goose bumps scattering across her flat stomach and arms.

She was quiet and I knew she had no good answer.

"You know what I think?" I asked rhetorically, sitting up and pulling her shirt back down. She said nothing, just stared at me with those big brown eyes.

"I think you're scared. Scared of getting hurt. Would I _ever_ hurt you, Max?" I breathed. Her eyes told me I'd guessed correctly.

She hesitated, then shook her head.

"Exactly." I let the corners of my mouth twitch.

I bent down again, my lips so close to hers I could practically taste them.

She closed her eyes in submission and my heart soared higher than my wings could ever take me.

Oh God. I've got to stop reading passages from those damn romance novels.

Hehehe. Pure smut or what? I know Max is all "he's my only one" in _Max_ but I sort of figured that even though she realized this, that whole flight instinct would die hard.

**Reviews are better than Valentine's! **


	39. Are You Coming Home?

**Okay; some very important things happen up in this chapter. Mack's siblings call and she learns to fly. Or, the basics, anyway. Then she goes back home….only for awhile though….and the flock go with her.**

**Mack's POV**

"Mack." Someone said very close to my ear. "Wake up."

I made a little sound in the back of my throat and cringed into my blankets.

"_Now_, Mack." Iggy growled and began kissing his way down my jaw fiercely. "Max will have my head and yours too if we're not bright eyed and bushy tailed by the time she kicks down the door."

I giggled and sat up. "Okay. What's for breakfast?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You're eating it now?"

"I feel hungrier than usual." I frowned. Must be the new bird genes kicking in.

"I would make pancakes, but there's nothing to make them with. So probably stale granola bars." He glanced at me apologetically.

"It's fine. I've had worse." I shrugged lightly.

Two things happened at once; my phone rang and the flock began pounding on the door.

Iggy unlocked and opened it; they all rushed in.

"You have a phone?" Max asked tightly.

"It's no traceable, I swear." I said instantly.

She frowned suspiciously at me. "Who is it?"

"I don't know. I don't recognize the number." I said, frowning too.

"Answer it." Max nodded coolly in my direction. The flock watched us with alert, wary eyes.

I pressed the green button and put it to my ear. "Hello?"

"Mackenzie?" A male voice asked, just as warily.

"Christian!" I gasped.

"Mackenzie?" Nudge asked, blinking in confusion.

"Mack is a nickname." I told her. "I prefer it. Call me Mack or I eat you."

She giggled.

"Oh, thank God. It took me _forever_ to find your number." Christian gasped on the other end.

Excitement bubbled up in me. "I've missed you. Everything okay at home?"

The flock fiddled with their stuff, pretending to pack but really listening in.

"Yeah. Dad's on a business trip to North Dakota. Mom went with him." Christian said.

"Cool! How's Gabe and Elina?" I asked.

"They're fine. Guess what came in the mail?" He asked, and his tone had an ecstatic undertone to it.

"I don't know." I muttered, anticipation building in me.

"Those five front row Three Days Grace concert tickets!" He yelled in my ear and I moaned.

I heard Fang inhale sharply across the room.

"What's that?" Gasman asked.

"Emo music," Iggy muttered, pulling a pair of jeans on.

Oh, yeah. I was still in his clothes.

"It's not emo music," I said sternly.

"Who are you talking to?" Christian sighed.

"The bestest friends in the whole wide world." I smiled and nudge turned to beam at me.

"Oh, yeah. Who are you with? You're being treated okay, right?" Christian asked, big bro protectiveness creeping into his voice.

"They're treating me great. Caviar on a silver platter every morning, feather bed and down comforter every night." I teased.

Max looked relieved that I was smart enough to sidestep the question about who they were.

"Damn straight." Christian laughed.

"I can't get this to fit. I need a bigger backpack. Max, can we go-" I hushed Nudge by stuffing the shirt in her pack. She looked sheepishly at me.

"Fang, dammit, leave my ipod alone!" I shrieked. He was messing with it after unplugging it from his precious laptop.

"Who's Fang?" Christian asked.

"The most annoying Goth boy on the planet." I seethed. Surprisingly, he stuck his tongue out at me.

"Wicked cool name." Christian approved. "So, Mackenzie, you coming home for the concert?"

I glanced at Max. it was her call.

Fang was practically pissing his pants to go, I could tell.

"I made a promise to myself not to keep the flock away from their real families, so yeah, sure. Why not?" Max grumbled.

I cheered and Fang smiled a bit.

"I'll take that dying cat sound you just made as a yes. See ya when you get here." Christian sounded like he was grinning.

"Yeah. Bye." I hung up quickly and took a deep breath.

"That was your brother?" Max questioned as soon as I hung up.

"Half." I nodded.

"And Gabe and Elina are your half siblings too?" Jesus, what was this? Spanish Inquisition?

"Christian is seventeen. So sorry, but you can't run a background check on him. You have to be eighteen for that." I snapped. People prying into my family life made me very uncomfortable.

I slammed down mental blocks.

Max glared at me and everyone seemed to hold their breath.

"Yeah, Gabe and Elina are my half siblings too." I nodded, sighing.

"Odd. I have a half sister named Ella, you have one named Elina." Max shrugged lightly, but I could tell something was bugging her.

"Hey guys, there's a washer and dryer in here!" Gasman called. He'd picked the lock on an adjoining door to a room we didn't check out.

"YES!" I shrieked and dumped the contents of my bag in there. The flock did likewise.

"Maid service." I suddenly blurted without thinking as Max poured about fifty gallons of detergent in the machine.

A knock sounded on mine and Iggy's door. "Maid service!" A female voice called.

Fang blinked. "Creepy."

**Okay I lied. Mack doesn't go home in this chapter. She goes home in the next one. Sorry. **


	40. This Is Your House?

**Mack's POV**

"This is your house?" Gasman asked, pointing to it.

I glanced at him through the dark, trying to ignore the tight coil of instinctive tension and fear in the bottom of my stomach. "Yeah."

It'd taken us all day to get here. It was dark now, around ten. That was alright. Arriving in broad daylight would've felt to conspicuous anyway.

Learning to fly had been easy enough. It was very instinctual. My new bird-gene-ridden brain automatically knew how to flap and lift myself up and dive and swoop.

It would've been the awesome thing in the world if it wasn't so freaking high up.

My wings were so freaking gorgeous and exotic looking. A dark, dark brown, and black along all the edges and the tip. Iggy couldn't stop touching them. Every time he did my body practically jerked with pleasure. The new skin under the feathers was just so sensitive…

Of course, folding them and unfolding them and using them hurt like a freaking mother. But I'd found I could work around that.

Fang and Max glanced at each other as we got closer to the house. Angel was holding Max's hand, looking around with interest.

"Damn, forgot my key," I muttered when I reached the front door. "Christian, open up!" I called loudly, banging on the front door.

"4,3,2,1" I whispered and the door burst open**.**

"Mackenzie!" Christian yelped, pulling me into a bone crushing hug.

"Ow." I said flatly. He'd been squeezing my carefully concealed wings. He quickly let me go.

"God I missed you," he breathed. I smiled weakly.

Then he glanced behind me. Instantly his expression became guarded.

"These your friends?" He asked casually enough, but there was a tense undertone.

"Duh." I rolled my eyes.

"Come on in." He stepped aside and we filed through.

I let out a blood-curdling scream.

"What?!" Iggy yelped.

"Christian, get that thing out of here!" I screeched.

Buddy the pug was running down the hall. His sharp little toenails clicked as he growled and barked.

I was terrified of Buddy the pug. We'd had a heated wrestling match when I was eight that had left me scarred. Literally; a tiny white line now spread across my calf. You could barely see it, but old grudges die hard.

I hid behind Igs, clutching his (amazing) biceps.

"Awe! He's so cute!" Angel cooed.

"Get him out, get him out, get him out!" I squealed.

Fang and Max looked at me like I'd suddenly grown a third arm as the kids bent down to pet the little monster.

"He's not going to hurt you, Mackenzie." Christian muttered.

He was on the dog's side. Traitor.

"I swear to God I'll leave." I threatened.

Christian sighed and tossed buddy out the door. He hit the ground yelping and running.

"Happy?" he asked pointedly.

"Ec-freaking-static." I snapped back harshly. Then I smiled sheepishly and went straight to the fridge.

It was empty. So were the cupboards and pantry…

"They didn't go shopping before they left?" I called in disgust.

"Nope." Christian popped the p and flopped down casually on the couch. The flock awkwardly followed suit.

"I like your house, Mack. It's sooo cool because it's two levels. I love two level houses. Anne had one back in-" Nudge fell silent with a tiny glare from Max.

"So, you want to introduce us or what?" Fang finally said.

"Oh, yeah. My lovely, dark friend over there is Fang. That's Angel, Max, Nudge, Gasman, and Iggy. And everyone else, this is my brother, Christian. Well, half. But whatever." I rambled off.

There was a general hum of greetings.

"Where's the kids?" I asked.

As soon as I did, there was hurried footsteps on the stairs. Well, it actually sounded like a stampede of wild boar, but you know.

"Mackenzie!" Elina screamed and rushed into my arms. I hadn't sat down yet, so when she rammed into me with that much force I fell backwards on my butt on the hardwood floor. Gabe quickly joined us, tripping dramatically for attention.

"Mackenzie! Where were you? Did you kick bad guy butt? Did the FBI hire you as a secret spy? Or did you rob a bank?" He wanted to know.

"Oh, I was so scared you would never come back! And I wanted to show you some new ballet moves I got taught and the cool secret hide out Christian made for me in the backyard and-" Elina was saying at the same time.

"Whoa, whoa!" I said, holding up my hands for silence.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Max watching us.

"First of all, I have a question for your two. What all has Christina sold on eBay?" I asked.

Gabe frowned. "Um, not much just yet. The beads over your curtains were shipped out yesterday, and those Coach stilettos you only wore once are long gone. Your bedspread and stuff is boxed up. But all your lotion and crap is okay, and we managed to hide most of your clothes." He reported.

Nudge looked impressed. "You know what stilettos are?"

Gabe's cheeks reddened. "Mackenzie's favorite form of torture is to take me shoe shopping. She hates any kind of shopping but that. Cute shoes are her thing."

Max blinked a few times-ah, another thing we had in common.

"Your step mom sells your stuff on eBay?" Gasman asked incredulously.

"Who are those people, Mackenzie?" Elina whispered, suddenly looking shy.

"My friends. They're nice, I promise." I whispered after nodding to Gasman's question.

"Wait-what _have_ you been up to?" Christian asked.

The whole flock stiffened.

"Oh, nothing much. See, Max here was captured by evil scientists. Turns out all these kids have wings. So me and the rest of them went to rescue her, only I got captured in the process. And they spliced my DNA. So now I have wings too." I explained casually.

The flock's mouths-even Fang's-dropped open.

Christian blinked. "No, seriously."

"Oh, nothing really. Just sort of traveled around like hobos." I shrugged. Iggy snickered under his breath.

Max mouthed _Not funny_, and I winked at her.

The days spent here were going to be interesting**.**

**Here ya go! Like it, love it, hate it? Review and let me know.**


	41. Playlists

**Okay, so they've been at Mack's for a couple days now….in the next chapter Christian begins to realize the flock is sketchier than originally portrayed….this one is _not pointless_, but it is smut filled.**

**Come on, give Max and Fang a break. She's been tortured for a couple weeks straight, they're entering a new relationship….smut is to be expected, no?**

**Max's POV**

Hard-dee-har-har.

I got hold of Fang's laptop. He's been slaving away over it for days now, and I can't figure out why. Usually, he blogs. And I can tell he's blogging by the way he never freaking stops typing.

But lately…he's been doing a lot of clicking.

And he slams it shut whenever I get close to him.

What could he be hiding from me?

The password wasn't hard to crack. Even Mack had figured it out yesterday; his made up birthday. Admittedly, she was psychic and Nudge loved to tell secrets, so her genius-ness wasn't utterly to blame…

I curled up on the huge bed of the guest room. (Her house had, like, fifty. It seemed our new flock member was pretty well off. Well, well off compared to us. It still bugged me that we knew, like, nothing about her.)

Two things popped up on the little screen that read _Recent Items_. The internet, and iTunes. Hmm. This seemed promising.

I clicked on the latter. I really didn't feel like scrolling through pages and pages of history right now.

I word under the category _Playlists_ catches my eye like it's on fire.

It was titled** Max.**

This had to be it.

Eyes widening, I clicked on it. A huge list of songs popped up.

Interesting song choices, Fang.

I frowned in concentration, trying not to feel like a sneak. This was about me, right? So I had every right to look at it. Right?

I slipped on headphones and clicked on the first song- Addicted by Saving Able.

Almost immediately I hit the Pause button.

No way. How did _that_ remind him of me?! Contrary to the beliefs of Iggy, we'd only gotten to what Ella called second base.

A song called I Can Be Your Hero was next.

Now this one was….decent. Too sappy for my taste, but at least it wasn't like the other.

The rest were good too. Well, besides Temperature, Good Girls Go Bad (which makes no sense at all), Hey Sexy Lady, and See U In the Dark.

Well, okay, I liked that last one too. But still.

When had he started this? I needed a date…there! The day I'd been captured.

"Hey, Max, have you seen my laptop?" Fang asked coming in unannounced.

He froze in the doorway, one foot stuck out to take a step.

He looked terrified, for a rock.

"Nice play list," I said, careful to keep my face blank.

Fang swore and looked away. Awe. How cute.

"I liked it," I said nonchalantly, even though I wasn't sure whether I had or not.

He raised one eyebrow. Fang-speak in this context for _Oh, really?_

"This one especially," I said and clicked on First Time by Lifehouse. I ripped the earphones out so that the sound filled the room.

His mouth twitched just a bit.

I resisted the urge to sigh. Why was he always making things awkward? We were just fine the way we were, more so when our physical displays of affection were limited. I liked my brain full sized, not dot sized, thank you very much.

"Come here." I said instead, patting the spot on the bed beside me.

He sat down, taking the laptop at me with a _you just kidnapped my baby_ worthy scowl. He was such a nerd.

"Why'd you hide it?" I finally asked.

He highlighted Addicted and gave me a look.

I looked down and began twirling a frayed strong on his jeans.

"You mad?" He finally asked.

"I haven't decided yet." I sighed, still not looking at him.

He sighed too and changed the song to Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down.

I knew I couldn't keep doing this. Jeb had taught us about mixed signals, and the advantage it might or might not give you over an opponent. He had said that if you kept your body relaxed and friendly toward an enemy, they couldn't tell if you were going to attack or not.

But he'd also said that if you gave off a friendly vibe, it could become real.

_What you and Fang have __**is **__real. _Ah. Hello there Voice.

_Don't be a coward, Maximum. It takes courage to chase love. _It said.

Oh H E double toothpicks no. Not even a voice in my head was allowed to call me a coward.

Just to prove it wrong, to prove that I _wasn't _scared, just confused, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to Fang's jaw.

He stiffened and I worried a moment that I'd done something wrong.

Then he smiled-really, truly smiled- and pulled on my head until his lips met mine.

And I felt truly, utterly happy for the first time since, like, Hawaii.

Which the universe just had to put an end to.

**Here's the complete list of songs on the play list: **

**Addicted- Saving Able**

**Down- Jay Sean**

**Stand in the Rain- Superchics**

**Good Girls Go Bad- Cobra Starship**

**I Can Be Your Hero**

**No Surprise- Daughtry**

**Over and Over- Three Days Grace**

**Kryptonite- 3 Doors Down**

**Animal I Have Become- Three Days Grace**

**It's Not Over- Daughtry**

**Wake Me Up Inside- Evanescence**

**Temperature- Sean Paul**

**See U In the Dark- Honor Society**

**Take My Hand- The Cab**

**The Saltwater Room- Owl City**

**Got Me Going Crazy- The Jonas Brothers (This one was a suggestion by Nudge.)**

**Us Against the World- Westlife**

**First Time- Lifehouse**

**Got Dynamite- Demi Lovoto (Also a suggestion by Nudge.)**

**One-X- Three Days Grace**

**Saving Me-Nickleback**

**Rainbow Veins- Owl City**

**Break the Ice- Britney Spears. (Alas, Iggy even got in on this.)**

**Hey Sexy Lady- Shaggy ft. Brian and Tony Gold**

* * *

**So there we are. The proof that I am utterly obsessed and need a new hobby. Review?**


	42. Homewrecker

**Okay, so I just realized what I'd written in for Christian's observing of the flock's odd behavior fits in no where in this plot. **

**So I decided to just give him a good ole shock instead. **

**Mack's POV**

I woke up groggy and hungry. The digital clock said 2:02 am. Ugh.

Sighing, I rolled out of bed. I stood still a minute, listening. No one else was awake.

I could let my wings out. God, they were stiff and sore….

Carefully and quietly I made my way downstairs. I stopped a moment to stare at Iggy, asleep on the couch.

Then I went into the kitchen, to Christian's secret stash of saltwater taffy….the stuff was seriously addictive.

Damn. He was all out of the blue flavor.

"Mackenzie, how many times do I have to tell you to _stay out _of my ca-" Christian came around the corner.

He froze. I jumped.

Oh God. My wings.

"Christian, don't-" I started to say, but he cut me off.

"What the hell are those?" He practically screamed, pointing to my right wing.

"Um. Wings." I whispered.

Soon the whole flock would be up. Elina and Gabe too. Way to keep it cool, bro. way to keep it under control.

"Where did you get them?" He asked, his voice still loud but slightly quieter.

"Evil scientists." I whispered again. How was I going to explain this?

"Oh my God." Christian groaned and laid his head against the wall.

I was kinda scared he would pass out.

"Is everything ok?" Max asked, coming around the corner.

Her eyes widened when she saw what had happened.

"Max, I swear, I thought everyone was asleep! I got hungry and-" I started to defend myself hysterically.

"Chill, Mack. He needs to know." Max said sharply.

I had the sudden desire to play the damsel in distress-something I'd never done before in my life-and rush into Iggy's arms and let _him_ explain all this.

_No. You don't need Iggy. Not for this. You're stronger than that, Mack. It's better he sleep through this anyway. Things could get ugly. _I told myself.

"Someone better start explaining. And I swear to God, if Ashton Kutcher jumps out and tells me I've just been Punk'd, someone_ will _die." Christian groaned. Comedy always had been an escape for him.

I opened my mouth to speak but Max beat me to it. She told him everything, even about my relationship with Iggy. (I had no clue how she knew about that.) She left out the gritty details, just giving straight forward facts.

Why was she helping me?

"Can't you get them…_removed?_" Christian asked after several minutes of digesting all this.

"Nudge wanted hers cut off once. It's not possible." Max said quietly, but the way she said it made it clear that even if it was possible, she wouldn't let anyone get theirs removed.

Christian took a deep breath. He'd squeezed his eyes closed, but now he opened them to glare at me.

They as good as told me I was a traitor.

"Please don't hate me." I whimpered.

_Crash. _There went my dignity.

He sighed heavily.

"Um. You all sort this out. I'm going back to bed." Max said, looking awkward now that her role as story-teller was over. She scampered back up the steps.

"I don't hate you, Mackenzie." Christian finally said.

"You could just be saying that." I pointed out. He'd never, not once in fourteen years, told me he loved me.

'I've always suspected you were just saying that." I said slowly and something flashed in his eyes.

"Kind of like you always _just said_ you were okay inside, when you can't even _hear _the _word_ mother." He shot back and I sucked in air through my teeth, wincing.

"You bastard," I spat. He knew my weaknesses.

He laughed once without humor. "You're one to talk, home wrecker."

I recoiled as if he'd poked me with an electric cow prod. That had been below the belt. this wasn't Christian. He was the loving, supportive one up in this joint. He never talked to anyone like this.

"How dare you," I gasped, clutching the counter behind me for support. The pain in my chest was so bad I thought I might collapse.

"How dare _you_? Running off, leaving the rest of us here to suffer without a word, then waltzing back in here thinking you're all special now because you have wings. A brand new, improved Mackenzie. When we all know what you really are- a _mistake._" He snarled.

My vision went _whoosh_. My knees would buckle any second now.

I could feel the tears on my face, but it all just felt so surreal. Like this wasn't actually happening.

But if that was how he felt, I'd respect that. No matter what he said to me, _I _loved _him_. Next to my mother, I loved him the most.

"Okay. You're right. I _am _awful, a mistake. I never should've been born. I'm sorry I was. I'm sorry I came along and made your life so complicated. We'll leave tomorrow, okay? And you can sell my stuff or keep it for yourself, and the concert tickets can go to your friends and you can have fun because that's what you deserve…" Nudge, it seemed, was rubbing off on me.

I walked toward him slowly to leave the room. I dimly noted that my bawling and choked monologue had a strong effect on him. He looked horrified at himself.

A strong hand on my shoulder stopped me from leaving the kitchen.

"You want to know what I thought when I first saw you?" He asked in a blank tone.

"_There's my future cause of pain and misery_?" I suggested dryly.

Something in his eyes broke then and his face screwed up like someone had tasered him or something. "No."

"Then what?" I whispered.

He drug me toward a chair, pulling me down on top of him. Too exhausted to fight, I went willingly. He smoothed my hair back from my face with gentle fingers, surprising me.

"I remember the day really well, you know. Even though I was only four." He began.

"Almost five," I mumbled and he smiled.

"Yeah. On our way to the hospital I remember thinking that you were probably an ugly, squalling thing that was going to irritate me to death. But then I actually saw you. Dad just looked awkward, and Mom looked totally disgusted. No one else was there to see you. And then I remember thinking you weren't so bad." He was whispering now. He seemed to have calmed down.

He was quiet for awhile, stroking my feathers in wonder. Then he went on.

"You weren't even crying. Just looking around with those big eyes. They were so _alert_, so intelligent. Like you cold understand everything going on around you. Like you knew who we were. You looked _right at _Mom and Dad. And you _frowned_. And then you looked at me. And you giggled. And when I waved at you, you giggled and smiled some more. And that's when I thought, _She's beautiful. And she's smart. And I get to keep her, and take care of her, and make her laugh, and hit any boys that talk to her but me_. Which reminds me; I need to talk to that Iggy kid."

I smiled, but I was still crying. I closed my eyes. "Liar." I whispered.

"I swear, I'm not lying." He laughed.

"Then why'd you say all that?" I asked brokenly.

He hesitated. "God, I don't know. I was just so scared and angry and hurt. You're part _bird_ now for Christ's sake. But I didn't mean a word I said. I swear."

I opened my eyes and raised my eyebrows, still doubtful.

"You're my little sister. Just like Elina. I love you just as much as I love her." He said. My eyes practically popped out of my skull.

"You better," I sobbed and threw my arms around his neck. He chuckled into my hair and carried me upstairs.

Just like the father I'd never had.

**Ugh. This was seriously morbid. Sorry peeps. This was critical, though, because it shows what a tight bond Mack and her sibs all have. The next few chapters are fun!! Yay fun! **


	43. Of Monster Brides and Ruined Moments

**Hmmm. I might do multiple POVS in this chapter. Might being the key word. I Haven't decided yet. Guess you'll just have to read and see. **

**Fang's POV**

"You left Iggy for your brother?" I asked after shaking Mack to wake her up.

She and that Christian dude had fallen asleep in his bed; they were all twisted up in the covers.

The whole house had heard their heated discussion. It had taken both me _and _Max to hold Iggy back when Christian was laying into her.

Of course, it had ticked me off too. But I knew Mack was a big girl.

She could handle things herself.

Elina and Gabe had been scared half to death, so Nudge, Angel, and Gasman had explained the whole wing thing to them.

Mack opened her big, hazel-green eyes. "Huh?"

"Nothing. Today's the concert. Just get up." I said, turned on my heel, and walked out calmly.

But on the inside I was hopping up and down like a little kid. _THREE DAYS GRACE THREE DAYS GRACE THREE DAYS GRACE_. My mind screamed over and over.

"Morning Fangy," Max greeted, smiling sweetly at me. She knew I freaking _hated_ that nickname with the flaming passion of ten thousand suns.

"Yo." I scowled.

"You ready for your emo-fest?" Iggy asked.

I rolled my eyes, but didn't bother telling him so. "You bet. My razors are all packed and sorted by color-black, grey, and kohl." I dead panned instead.

Nudge laughed so hard milk came out her nose.

"I don't think it's fair that e have to stay home." Gasman mumbled to his four bowls of Cheerios.

Gabe was staring at him with wide eyes. "Where do you put it all, man?"

"Morning!" Angel sing-songed, skipping into the kitchen. "What's for breakfast?"

"Cereal." Iggy informed her, handing her three bowls.

"You all know the rules for tonight, right?" Max asked worriedly.

"Yes we know. No flying, no bombs, no kissing anyone for dares or any other reasons, no mind-compelling the boys to put on makeup or girl clothes, and no watching Nick and Norah's Infinite Play List, as it is extremely inappropriate for our age group." Nudge rambled off.

"And you two know your own rules?" Mack asked sternly, also arriving in the kitchen. She looked at Gabe and Elina expectantly.

"Yes," Gabe sighed, giving Elina a look. "No answering the phone, no answering the door unless it's for the pizza man, no water-ballooning the pizza man, no dangling the neighbor's cat from the window, no sic-ing Buddy on innocent people, and under no circumstances are we to use any household appliances such as chainsaws, blenders, microwaves, ovens, stoves, grills, lawnmowers, or nose hair trimmers."

"Good." Mack chirped, kissing his forehead. He made a face and wiped at the place with his arm.

"So, Mackenzie, now that you're all feathered, what are you wearing tonight?" Christian asked casually.

"Awe, that's right. I can't wear my halter tops anymore." Mack whined.

Iggy made a little noise from his place by the toaster.

Christian glared at him, which was utterly pointless.

I frowned and made a mental note to stop picking up random people in malls and adding them to the flock. They were all sleazy.

"Fang!" Angel screeched.

"Stay out of my head," I muttered. Christian's eyes widened.

Oops.

Apparently all of the beans weren't out of the bag.

Mack looked at Max, a question in her eyes.

Max turned her head, and I saw a glint of pink buried really deep in her hair. I almost smiled; I loved her old pink highlights. They were bold and daring and sexy….

Angel giggled. I sent her a warning look.

"Go ahead." Max nodded.

"Angel can read minds." Mack said casually, shrugging as she dug through the fridge.

Christian choked on his orange juice.

Ha.

"Katie seems like a very nice girl. Not like the other girls you've dated. But I agree, it's time to move on." Angel said politely.

Christian looked awed, yet horrified.

Angel frowned at him. "That's a bad word."

He blinked a few times, then turned towards Mack. "Anything else I should know?" He croaked.

"Yeah. I'm psychic. Always have been. Nudge is a human magnet. Fang disappears. And Iggy can feel colors. Max flies super fast. Gasman….well, you don't think his name is a coincidence, do you?" She wrinkled her nose.

Nudge giggled and sent a spoon flying across the room.

"Nudge, no flying silverware." Max berated her.

"Um." Christian managed when the spoon levitated into the sink, which earned Nudge a death glare.

"You've _always_ been psychic?" He asked, turning back to Mack.

"Yep, always. I didn't find out until two years ago though. And even then, I didn't really believe it." She shrugged.

"So that's how you always beat me at Uno Attack." Christian teased.

Hmm…. I hadn't thought of that. Mack could do some serious damage in Vegas.

"Huh." Christian said.

Unimaginative creature.

**Sigh. Might as well. **

**Max's POV**

I'd been doing some thinking today.

I know, I was surprised too. Me, think? Since when?

Usually I just wing it-no pun intended.

The people at Itex and the School, I had come to realize, didn't want me to be normal. They wanted me to be a mutant freak, not a girl and a human.

So, even though I'll most likely have to punch someone's lights out by the end of the night, I'd decided to let Mack turn me normal. Just this once.

If you can call caking tons of makeup on your face, wearing torturous high heels, and hindering your own movement in a micro mini skirt _normal_. But whatever.

Besides, I was _tired_ of feeling like a truck driver next to other girls. Cough Brigid cough. I didn't like feeling inferior- I had always been _dominant, _damn it.

I'd rather go on Valium again than admit it, but…I also wanted to see Fang's eyes pop out a tiny bit when he looks at me. Just once in my life. Just so I can claim I saw it.

Call me quirky.

So I knocked quietly on Mack's door. Everyone else was out getting ice cream- the kids had argued they should get to go _somewhere_ special today, since we were.

"Yeah?" Mack asked, yanking open the door.

I blinked.

Her makeup was only half done, and she looked like an ad for a Frankenstein's Bride Halloween outfit.

But…if that's what it took to be normal….

I was beginning to understand Nudge's point of view back at the Day and Night School a little better now.

Yeah-there was another reason for this temporary lapse in sanity. My flock needed to see that we _did_ have a hope of fitting into normal society one day when the world saving was over.

I took a deep breath.

"I want you to help me get ready." I blurted.

Her eyes widened. "Um. Okay. Go take a shower. Shave well."

Uhh. Okayyyy.

By the time I came back Mack was ready. And no longer resembled a monster bride.

Now her eyes were lined in black, thick on top and bottom. Her eye shadow was a dark, smoky grey, her mascara applied perfectly. The powder stuff was perfect too, the lip gloss the best shade.

She looked like a model in one of those magazines Nudge was reading all the time.

Even her hair- it had what Ella called volume, but was still straight and razor-edged, giving her a Goth look. (Fang had a new rival, it seemed.)

Her red silky tank top that had little black beads on it hugged her every curve and I wondered just how tight she had to fold her wings in to pull that off. Her dark washed jeans clung to her legs, her black high heels peeping out from under them.

I felt like a freaking drowned rat standing there next to her.

"Come on," she said and I was sort of startled to hear Mack's voice. She barely resembled the Mack I knew.

Would I be unrecognizable too?

I don't even know what half the crapola was she put in my uncooperative hair, but it turned into a tame creature in her capable hands. She blew it dry, then curled it.

Me, being the paranoid mutant freak to the end, went into a silent panic attack. What if she clamped down on my ear or something?!

But she didn't.

"Here," She said, throwing a black sweater at me that was dangerously low cut.

"Uh, what do I put under it?" I asked awkwardly. The soft material was as thin and soft as a cloud. Literally.

She just smirked. "Normally, you wear an undershirt under a sweater. But that one's special. It has the sides ripped out, see? So just a bra. Preferably this one. You look about my size."

I blushed furiously as she evaluated my chest and threw a black, lacy undergarment at me.

"Oh, calm down. The girls in the locker room at school do stuff like this all the time." So, contrary to my firm belief, sharing personal clothing _was_ common.

I blinked. Fear settled into the pit of my stomach. I'd feel beyond exposed in this. And what if a feather slipped out the ripped up, frayed sides? I'd rather face 1,000 Erasers _alone_.

But I sucked it up and pulled it over my head anyway.

She smiled proudly at me and I smiled timidly back.

Then she handed me a gold-yes, gold, mini skirt. Accessorized, apparently, by a black and gold necklace and matching stilettos.

"No way." I said in my hardcore tone reserved for Flyboys, Mr. Chu, whitecoats, and Fang when he got too touchy-feely.

She raised her eyebrows. "Iggy bet me five bucks you wouldn't do it. He said you were chicken."

I frowned. "How'd you know-"

"Psychic." She waved her hand dismissively.

Oh. Right.

Then anger rose in me. "Iggy called me chicken?" Stupid blind pyro.

"Mhm. Guess he was right." She sniffed and glanced pointedly at the clothing in her outstretched hand.

"Ugh, fine," I conceded grudgingly and threw it on.

Then the true torture began.

Makeup.

"You have the most gorgeous eyes I have ever seen," She complimented, smearing something cream colored all over my face.

Gorgeous was much better than _un-barfed chocolate_.

"Really?" I asked doubtfully.

"Totally." She nodded and rubbed powder over my face. I sneezed three times.

"Careful," she warned sternly. It took every inch of Maximum self-control _not_ to snap her neck.

I'm not even gonna torture you with all the other details. I don't understand all that crap about _skin tone _and _your color_.

"Ready? Look!" She gasped and finally shoved me in front of her floor-length mirror.

Oh.

My.

God.

Who _was _that?!

A girl-young woman, really- stood in front of me.

Brown, kohl lined eyes widened in surprise; her beautiful face stared back at mine. Instead of uncombed, unruly hair there was a waterfall of gorgeous curls. Her lips were full and blood red, not dry and split and bruised for once. Her brownish-tan eye shadow shimmered when she blinked, bringing out gold in her irises.

Her long legs looked miles longer thanks to the heels. And they didn't look pale and weird and gangly, either. They look, as Iggy would say, _hot_.

Huh.

Mack had done a good job.

"Um. Wow. Thanks." I managed. How did normal girls walk in these heels? I wobbled just standing there.

Mack's face fell at my lack of jumping and squealing and clapping. "You don't like it?"

I considered my answer carefully. "No, I like it. I'm just not used to it."

She smiled again. "The only trick to all this, Max, is be confident."

Uh huh. Sure thing.

**Ah, what the heck? Might as well. It's short.**

**Fang's POV**

Extremely unruly hair? Check.

Slightly ripped jeans, black unstained shirt? Check.

Smile-less, unexcited face? Check.

Let's rock and roll.

Mack, of course, would probably go all out. She seemed the type.

Iggy could care less. He hated this band with a passion. (Remind me to have him deported to Scandinavia for that later.)

And Max- well, we all know her. She'll be a paranoid, nervous wreck until the whole flock was together again.

I knocked on the family room door- where Iggy and Gasman were currently holed up.

"What?" Gasman called.

"You ready?" I called, addressing Iggy.

"Not quite!" Iggy called, and then much softer, "No, this isn't right. At this rate it'll explode three seconds too early."

I rolled my eyes and went into the kitchen.

To see a stranger rummaging through the fridge.

Every sense I have went on hyper alert and adrenaline rushed through my veins. My fists clenched as I evaluated my potential enemy.

I thought I knew that build; tall, slender. But for some reason I pictured the revealed curves hidden under baggy tee shirts and jeans.

Perfect curls hid the face-the hair was the exact shade as Max's, actually…

Wait. No way was that _actually……_

"Max?" I asked, cursing myself instantly for letting the surprise show in my voice.

The stranger-Max-stood up straight, wobbling on the heels.

I let my eyes scan up her legs-two perfect body parts normally sheathed in jeans-to the short golden skirt.

A skirt? Heels?

No way was this chick Max.

But her face proved otherwise.

It _was _Max. Same brown eyes I got lost in. Same uncertain expression.

A different shade of lip color that made me want to-

_Note to self-there is a six year old mind reader in the house_.

Whoa.

_Thank. _

_You. _

_Mack. _

"It looks bad, huh? I figured." she grumbled, fingering the hem of her black, ripped sweater self consciously.

I stared at her exposed sides…..

Oh. Right. I was supposed to reply now. That was a general rule of conversation.

"No, it doesn't look bad." I said, shrugging.

And this is why I don't talk.

But Max smiled. "Seriously?"

I nodded, taking several steps toward her until she was backed up against the fridge. Her kohl lined eyes widened and her _freaking_ red lips parted.

I bent my head and her extended eyelashes fluttered against my cheek….

"_Gabe, GIVE ME THE CAMERA! _You and Nudge and Angel and Elina have had it all day!!" Mack bellowed from somewhere in the house.

Way to ruin the moment there, Mack.

**Hehehehe. I love this. I really do. I hope no one was OOC….. If they were, I apologize.**

**Review??**

.


	44. Bring Me To Life

**And we have yet another snow day on our hands…..not that I'm complaining.**

**Mack's POV**

"What are you, a nun?" Christian evaluated my clothes in the rear-view mirror.

I scowled back at him from my perch on Iggy's lap. "What are you, a prune-ish old lady? Turn the radio up, would you?"

Christian smiled teasingly back at me and I grinned.

Seconds later, music vibrated the car- Love in an Elevator courtesy of Aerosmith. My brother loved the 80's.

Max looked at Fang, eyebrows raised. He just sort of shrugged back.

I laughed and sang along a bit under my breath.

No one had been allowed to call shotgun- Christian had put his foot down on that one when the four of us mutant bird kids had begun bickering.

Max had been kind of ticked about that.

"Okay, sis, you ready to show off?" Christian asked after a few miles of the Bee Gees.

"What are you talking about?" I called back.

"Sing for us!" He commanded.

My face turned red instantly. "No. No way."

"Yes way. You can choose the song." And he tossed a bunch of CD's back.

"You can sing?" Max asked, looking at me in that odd, evaluating way of hers.

Christian snorted and turned the volume way down. "Sing, dance, act-she's a real triple threat."

I hid my burning face in Iggy's neck.

"Please Mack? I wanna hear." He whispered, pushing my hair back and kissing my jaw.

"Traitor!" I shrieked and slid off him.

Fang had been rifling through the burned music. "Sing this." He finally said, handing me one.

It only had one track- Bring Me to Life, by Evanescence.

I just glared at the retarded emo kid. What did Max see in him?

"Fine." I grumbled and Christian crowed in triumph.

"Don't get too excited. You're singing with me. It _is_ a duet." I pouted, tossing him the CD.

"What?!" He yelped, even as he slid the music in.

I crossed my arms and looked at him; daring him with my eyes. "I'm not singing if you don't."

He groaned in submission. Ha! I win.

"Ready?" He asked. I nodded.

_"How can you see into my eyes like open doors?_

_Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb_

_Without a soul, my spirit sleeping somewhere cold_

_Until you find it there and lead it back home_

_Wake me up(Wake me up inside)_

_I can't wake up(Wake me up inside)_

_Save me(Call my name and save me from the dark)_

_Wake me up(Bid my blood to run)_

_I can't wake up(Before I come undone)_

_Save me(Save me from the nothing I've become)_

_Now that I know what I'm without_

_You can't just leave me_

_Breathe into me and make me real_

_Bring me to life_

_Wake me up(Wake me up inside)_

_I can't wake up(Wake me up inside)_

_Save me(Call my name and save me from the dark)_

_Wake me up(Bid my blood to run)_

_I can't wake up(Before I come undone)_

_Save me(Save me from the nothing I've become)_

_I've been living a lie_

_There's nothing inside_

_Bring me to life_

_Frozen inside without your touch_

_Without your love, darling_

_Only you are the life among the dead_

_All this time, I can't believe I couldn't see_

_Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me_

_I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems_

_Got to open my eyes to everything_

_Without thought, without voice, without a sou_

_lDon't let me die here_

_There must be something more_

_Bring me to life_

_Wake me up(Wake me up inside)_

_I can't wake up(Wake me up inside)_

_Save me(Call my name and save me from the dark)_

_Wake me up(Bid my blood to run)_

_I can't wake up(Before I come undone)_

_Save me(Save me from the nothing I've become)_

_I've been living a lie_

_There's nothing inside_

_Bring me to life."_

"Whoa. You're both really good." Huh. Max actually looked impressed.

I glared at Christian. "Happy now?"

"Positively joyful." He nodded, smiling, and turned on Michael Jackson's Don't Stop till You Get Enough.

"So you like to read, apparently you're a damn good writer, and you also sing, dance and act." Iggy stated, looking somewhat doubtful.

"It all goes hand in hand. Reading was my first passion, and then I wanted to create my own characters by writing. After that I wanted to _be_ the characters-acting. Singing and dancing…those are just natural talents." I shrugged.

Iggy now looked like he wanted to bang his head against the window.

"And your being anorexic fits in with the whole Hollywood cliché you desperately wish to be involved in." Fang nodded to himself, like all of the world's mysteries had suddenly been revealed.

"Dear God! It speaks!" Max gasped, eyes widening theatrically.

Fang rolled his eyes.

**Okay….yeah. I got nothing. To say, I mean. Hehe. **


	45. The Concert

**Yay! Concert time! **

**Fang's POV**

_THREE DAYS GRACE THREE DAYS GRACE THREE DAYS-_

"Anyone want any snacks?" Christian called back, interrupting my mantra.

"Of course we do." Mack snorted.

"Okay then." Christian shrugged and made the sharpest turn ever, onto an exit ramp. Max yelped a bit and grabbed the handle above our heads. I smirked at her.

Christian smiled charmingly back at her-I gritted my teeth. "Sorry about that." He apologized.

Max shrugged.

Christian pulled into a random gas station.

"Come on Max." Mack sing-songed and hopped out.

Max's eyes widened and flitted to her clothes, as if she'd just realized she'd have to wear them in public.

"I'll just wait here," she said stiffly, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Then you forfeit your snack." Iggy said, grinning.

Mack whacked him on the arm.

"Just get out." I said, ignoring the death glare. I'd seen it since about the age of three.

Iggy hesitated, shrugged, then began dragging Mack into the store by her hand. Amazing; she didn't stumble once in those stupid heels. She was already five-ten. Why be taller?

"Come on. Potato chips. Cookies." I coaxed Max. nothing got through to Max like cookies.

"They're not homemade," she muttered, but grudgingly climbed out of the car. I wrapped a comforting arm around her and we walked through the automatic doors.

Iggy was busy listening to Mack read off all his options. Christian was flirting with the twenty-something cashier. No Erasers or Flyboys or short, angry Chinese men. Everything was cool. The kids hadn't even called yet.

Which either means they're just fine, up to no good, or captured.

I shrugged such thoughts away and moved my arm so that I could rub both sides of Max's tense neck. She had to calm down in life or she'd explode.

She glanced at me and smiled a but, then began walking towards the aisle that held the Chips Ahoy packages.

"You want anything to drink with that?" I asked her, gesturing with my head towards the coolers in the back.

"Wow, a full sentence. The end of the world must be on its way." She teased.

I could think of a million and one ways to get back at her for thought, but held it all in. the store probably wouldn't survive a ticked off Max.

Besides, I knew she lashed out at people when stressed.

"Iggy threw a gummy bear at me with surprisingly good aim." Mack appeared next to us then, frowning up at a satisfied looking Iggy.

"Didn't I teach you not to play with food?" Max asked, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, I grew up in a dog crate. Be glad I can speak English." Iggy rolled his sightless eyes.

"Touché," Max grumbled.

"Alright kids, let's head out!" Christian called.

Mack paid for our stuff-where did she get all this money, anyway?-and we piled back in the car.

My mind returned to it's mantra.

**Mack's POV**

"Are you ready for THREE DAYS GRACE?!" The announcer screamed into the microphone.

The crazy fans-including me-screamed as loud as possible.

Iggy yelped and covered his ears with his hands. I frowned in sympathy and put my hand in his before looking back at the stage and grinning.

For the next thirty minutes I just stood there and screamed along with the other ten thousand people. Once, I glanced at Fang and he was _smiling. _I grinned and snapped a picture of him. He glared at me.

Then Christian grabbed my arm and spun me around. I looked at him questioningly and he wiggled his eyebrows, then lifted me up, up, up and onto his shoulders.

I squealed and shrieked, then threw back my head and laughed.

I was so close I could've spit on the lead singer. Not that I ever would, of course.

Max clicked the camera, and caught me on Christian's shoulders on film.

Christian sat me back down after awhile and we yelled the lyrics to Pain in each other's faces. The bass shook me to my core, tossed the ground under my feet…everything was so loud.

I loved concerts. They invaded every sense you possessed until you felt too much to really feel.

And this time, when I cheered, I was screaming for myself, too.

**I admit it-this was another filler chapter. The next ones sooo aren't, though, and for those of you who have been demanding more Fax, or Mang, or **_**whatever**_**- be prepared to sigh in satisfaction. Hehe.**


	46. Indescribable

**This chapter is…….well, go see for yourself. **

**Max's POV**

"Guys, you okay? Nudge, Angel, Gasman?" I called as soon as Christian got the door unlocked.

There they all were, sprawled out in the family room with Gabe and Elina. Blankets and pillows were strewn everywhere.

Gasman was conked out on the couch, one leg hanging off, mouth wide open. Popcorn littered the floor and cushions all around him.

Angel was cuddled into Elina; they looked just like cute little kittens laying there. One of her white wings was bent at an awkward angle, and she frowned in her sleep.

Nudge was mumbling something about white rabbits and volcanoes as she slept; she rolled over when Fang shut the front door a little too loudly.

"Angel, baby," I whispered, shaking her shoulder. She'd freak out if she woke up without knowing we were home.

She was awake instantly, eyes wide and alert.

She sat up, ruffling her feathers a bit. "Max?"

"Hey kiddo. Everything alright? How'd the night go?" I asked, cradling her in my lap.

"Alright. We watched 101 Dalmatians, the live version. It was funny. We all fell asleep after it went off." She yawned, laying her head against my shoulder.

I laughed a little. "Looks like you all had one heck of a party."

She just nodded.

"You wanna sleep with me?" I asked her. I was beginning to like her better sleepy-when she was warm and cuddly and pliant, instead of plotting ways to be flock leader.

"No, Elina made me promise to sleep by her tonight." She shook her head and laid back down.

"Okay." I nodded. We stacked fists and she was back asleep in an instant.

I glanced at Nudge-she'd stopped mumbling and was resting soundly now, curled into a ball.

Gasman was in the same uncomfortable position.

They hadn't been taken. As far as I could tell, the house and its furniture was still in one piece. All was well.

"Awe man. The kids took my bed." Iggy grumbled from the family room doorway.

Mack, leaning heavily against him, smiled coyly and stood up on her tiptoes to whisper something in his ear.

"Well, if you insist…" he drawled lazily, and when Mack giggled, he grinned and led her up the steps.

"I can trust you, right?" Christian called warily.

"Of course," Mack giggled again and disappeared into the upstairs hall.

I followed a few minutes later, to the guestroom Nudge, Angel and I normally shared.

I'd tied my hair up in the car, so now all those glorious curls were a tangled mess on top of my head. My makeup was still perfect though.

I peeled off the tiny skirt, resolving to never wear it again, and pulled on some black basketball shorts. The stupid, revealing sweater went next, and I spread my wings out a bit to stretch.

Then I felt the back of my neck prickle and I whirled around.

"Fang!" I hissed, turning red.

He was standing in the doorway, watching me with a blank expression and dark, obsidian eyes.

"Perv, much?" I snarled and looked around desperately for any shirt that wouldn't require me rushing across the room to reach.

"Learn to shut a door. I just came for my laptop," he grumbled, but his eyes never left mine as he gestured to it, laying there on the bed.

"Oh," I muttered. Fang stood there a moment, then came in and shut the door. I stood there awkwardly, watching him.

He ignored the computer on the bed, instead coming straight up to me. Then, very slowly, he brushed his fingers across my neck.

My eyes widened. "What the heck are you doing?"

Whoa. Flashback much?

Fang didn't answer, just kept my eyes prisoner with his own. His hand moved hesitantly from my neck to my hair band. Gently, he pulled until all my curls were loose again; I'd been wrong. They still looked good.

I looked at him questioningly, ignoring the instinct to push him away from me. This was Fang, and I cared about him, and if we was acting strange…well, he was entitled to from time to time.

Sort of.

It depended on how far this went. Right now I really wasn't too sure of him, or myself either.

"Fang…?" I tried again, and moved my arms to fold them over my exposed skin. I was still wearing Mack's lacy bra.

Oops.

But then Fang's rough fingers clamped down on my wrists, pinning them to my sides. My eyes probably resembled dinner plates by now. This was so unlike him. Usually he let me go at my own pace.

Maybe this was actually Fang 2. Hey, it could happen.

His calloused fingers rubbed slow circles on the inside of my wrists my wrists and I shivered.

He smirked and I put on my best Max glare.

"Do you always wear things like this under your clothes?" He asked casually, as if we were discussing weather.

"Um." I managed, trying to figure him out. Why couldn't he just take the laptop and be gone?

He smirked again and began trailing the fingertips of one of his hands up my arm, lingering on half-healed scrapes and bruises.

I looked down, embarrassed. At least the stupid sweater had covered _those_ up. Now he could see how not normal I was.

Fang's other hand moved, bringing my arm with it; he draped it across his shoulders.

I blinked.

He did the same with the other soon enough.

I blinked some more.

"Close your eyes," he ordered.

I raised my eyebrows instead.

"Just do it." He rolled his eyes.

I did.

I'd expected it, sort of. But when his lips touched the side of m neck, I couldn't help but gasp a bit. He smiled a little at that, then felt his way up to my jaw, to my ear, where I felt his teeth.

"Fang," I started.

"Wait. Just….wait." He managed. I took a deep breath, telling myself that I was fast, I was strong, I had wings for God's sake. I could get myself out of any situation if it got too intense.

Including this one.

I hoped.

He extricated himself out of my arms and moved across the room. He flipped the light switch and we were plunged into darkness. I didn't move, just let my eyes adjust.

Soon he was back with me. He wrapped his strong arms around me, and I put mine carefully back where they had been.

"I'm waiting," I hissed, a smarty pants to the end, as Nudge would say.

He glared a bit.

Then his mouth crashed down on mine; my hands twined into his hair of their own accord. My lips tried their best to keep up with his, but they couldn't, to my utter frustration.

I eventually gave up and let him take control.

One of his hands slipped from my shoulder and traced the outline of my torso…I shuddered and gasped at the sudden contact.

He made good use of this, his tongue pushing past my lips greedily.

Oh, gees. Where had he learned to kiss like that?!

Suddenly I saw Lissa stuck to him like glue on the back's of my eyelids.

I had a random desire to show him just how much time he had wasted with her. Just how much better than her I could be.

I let my mouth move against his and this time, I kept up. I moved my fingers from his hair-scraped my nails softly down his tee-shirt covered back.

Why shouldn't I? I personally believe I deserved some fun time after the weeks of hell I'd been put through.

Fang groaned and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. His hands slipped until they clung to my waist, and he stared up at me with smoldering eyes.

I giggled-very unlike myself-and carefully settled onto his lap, straddling him. "What? I win?" I asked and smirked in triumph. I always win.

I bent my head and kissed his well-formed jaw.

"Not quite," he growled and flipped us over faster than I could even blink.

Now I was on my back and he was hovering over me. His wings were out now. He looked like some dark, fallen angel.

Hesitantly, I slipped my fingers under his shirt, running my fingers over his abs, along the scars Ari gave him, higher.

His eyes actually rolled back in his head for a moment.

Then he took his shirt completely off.

_Take that, you crazy blog fan girls, _I managed to think.

Then he reached behind me, picking up the forgotten laptop, tossing it lightly to the floor. He hooked an arm around my middle, arching my back until my chest touched his. I gasped; the sensation of my almost-bare chest against his completely-bare one was indescribable.

He slid me up carefully until my head was on one of those fancy-schmancy down pillows Mack had said her step mom couldn't live without.

_Fang's body lines up perfectly with mine_, some part of me realized dimly, and it did. The majority of me, though, was focused on how his lips had found my neck.

They skimmed along my skin until they found my pulse point and I felt a sudden warmth there-his tongue, tracing slow patterns.

I bit my lip against the surprising sound rising in the front of my throat.

He could sense that, it seemed, because his kisses became faster and more heated by the second-not that they hadn't been already.

"Fang," I said without knowing why I was saying that. I was embarrassed when my voice cracked.

In response I felt his teeth against the sensitive skin of my throat now; he nipped at it, then stroked the tiny bite marks with his tongue to take away any possible pain. His hand slid up across my stomach lightly, putting goose bumps on my skin, until it actually traced the outline of my borrowed bra….

I moaned and he stopped. As soon as he did and my senses returned, my face flooded with heat.

What was I _doing?_ I was supposed to be saving the world, kicking evil thugs' faces in, not hitting almost-third-base with _Fang_.

I felt his mouth, soft and sweet now, on my chin, my temple, my nose. Then on my lips, but it was a small, chaste kiss.

I literally bit my lip to keep from saying or doing anything stupid. I wouldn't go running or flying off again. I was a big girl. Fang had chosen me, I had chosen Fang. This is the way the world works, Maximum.

"I should probably find a shirt," I whispered, moving to get up.

Fang pulled me back down, pulling the side of my torso against his. I was on my stomach; so was he. He threw one large, black wing over me. His feathers were so soft and felt so good mingling with mine…

"Or not." He shrugged. I smiled and held out my fist.

After our stacking ritual, I fell asleep rubbing my wing against his. And I was happy.

Amazing, huh? The universe didn't even prevent it.

**So…..there's that. Reviews???**


	47. Take Me There Anyway

**Hehehehehe. This chapter was the funnest thing to write, I swear. It totally shows how different Max and Mack's thought processes are. And one of Mack's dirty little secrets slips out…..**

**Mack's POV**

I grabbed Max's wrist and pinned her against the wall. No way was she getting away.

"Spill. What happened with you and Fang last night?" I demanded, squealing.

She raised her eyebrows. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't break your arm."

I knew she could and probably would, too. But no way do I give up that easy. A flash of greenish-purple caught my eyes, and I dropped my gaze to her neck.

"Oh my God." I gasped and my eyes widened. Max's did too, momentarily distracted.

"What?" She asked.

"Max, don't freak out, but…there's something on your neck." I whispered, and my eyes got even eider. She was going to _kill_ Fang.

As much as Goth Boy annoyed me, I didn't want him annihilated.

Max turned the color of paper and she slid to her knees. What? She was that flipped about a hickey?

"What day?" She whispered hoarsely.

"Huh?" I asked, totally lost.

Then she started _crying_, totally silently, but still. Even I know Max doesn't cry.

"What's the date? Just tell me, okay? I can handle it." She whispered.

"It's…well, I don't know! Today." I said, shrugging. Was I supposed to know the date right off the top of my head?

Why would she care so much? She was a fourteen year old mutant girl….

Oh dear Lord in heaven. She was pregnant.

"Oh, Max, I'm so sorry! I'll do whatever I can to help, okay?" I said, falling to the floor beside her and wrapping her in a hug even though I knew she didn't want to be touched.

"Nothing can help me," she said, shrugging lifelessly. "Could you go get Fang?"

Well, of course; Fang had the right to know. It was his kid too.

Idiot.

**Hehehehe. What do you think Max thinks it is??**

**Fang's POV**

"Fang, Max needs you," Mack snarled, stomping down the steps.

She glared at me as I looked up from bombing the SWAT team on Grand Theft Auto.

"What's wrong?" I asked, immediately handing the controls to Gasman.

"Oh, don't pretend you don't know. Thanks for ruining her life, you miserable jackass." She snapped, and slammed the door on her way out.

"What's going on?" Christian asked, looking up from playing Monopoly with Angel and Elina in the other room.

I shrugged.

"I'm going after Mack. Go to Max," Iggy muttered, handing his own controls to Nudge. (How a blind guy can play a video game is beyond me.)

I bolted up the steps to find Max on the floor of Mack's room. She was just sitting there, staring off into space. I could tell she'd been crying though.

Uh oh.

If Max was crying, we were all going down.

"I have an expiration date," she blurted suddenly. Then she took a deep breath and held it, still staring blankly at the wall.

Whoosh-goodbye stomach. Goodbye will to live, goodbye heart, goodbye sanity.

Goodbye Max.

"When?" I managed to choke. The best night of my existence last night, and now this…

"Today. At least, that's what Mack says." She whispered.

Feeling like I was in some horrible dream, I walked over to check her neck. Fingers shaking, I pushed back her hair to reveal…

A bruise.

Nothing else. Just a bruise.

The sweetest relief I've ever felt in my entire life rushed through me. It made me lightheaded, like I was going to hyperventilate, or pass out.

"What? Why are you smiling, Fang?!" Max shrieked, near hysteria.

I was smiling? That wasn't right…

I quickly reformed my usual brick-wall-mask, then shifted so I could look her in the eye.

"It's just a bruise, Max," I said quietly.

"Just a…" she managed and slumped against the wall, limp as a rag doll.

"You're fine." I reassured her, holding her face between my hands.

"But…" she breathed.

She was quiet for a moment, absorbing the fact that living to see tomorrow was a likely possibility.

Then, "Fang, you idiot!" She screeched, and proceeded to punch me in the chest. Hard.

"What?" I asked, rocking back on my heels with the force of her blow.

"You gave me a hickey!" She screeched.

Uh oh.

Was it too late to call the real SWAT team? For, you know, protection?

**Mack's POV**

I was beyond furious. How could Fang be so irresponsible? How could Max _let_ him forget?

I was thousands of feet in the air, and not terrified, for once. Clouds brushed against my face and clothes and I didn't care.

I knew what was getting me so worked up about this- my mother had been a teenager, a young one, when she'd had me. And it had ruined her life.

Even though she'd never come right out and said it, I knew it had. She'd had dreams once, big ones.

All I had ever done was get in the way of those.

Would Max and Fang's kid feel the same way one day?

"Mack!" Iggy called, fifty feet below me.

I stopped flapping, letting myself free fall the distance to meet him.

He stopped as I came to an abrupt halt, and we just hovered there.

"What was going on back there?" He asked, reaching out fingertips to gauge my expression.

I wanted to tell him. I wanted to blurt the whole thing out; rant and rave and scream and cry about it right there in the sky. But this was Max and Fang's business. This wasn't my secret to tell.

God knew I had plenty of my own.

So I said "Nothing."

"That wasn't _nothing_," Iggy disagreed.

I shrugged.

"I'm late." I said.

"For what?" He asked, frowning.

"You'll see. If you come, anyway." I shrugged again, dove several thousand feet just for a rush, then glided softy to the ground.

Iggy landed next to me almost instantly.

"Wait here," I said, and ran inside.

I went straight to the laundry room and grabbed my hidden stash of clothes there for occasions like this-short cotton shorts, tennis shoes, a lightweight tank top. Christian caught my eye from a few rooms over.

His face hardened. _Be careful_, he mouthed.

_Always,_ I mouthed back.

Then I started off down the street, Iggy close behind.

"You wanna tell me where we're going?" He asked.

"Ever wander where Christian and I get all our cash?" I answered his question with a question.

"I've wondered," he admitted.

"He got into a street fighting ring a couple years back. Built up his muscle and endurance and learned a few nasty tricks-tricks in more areas of life than one. Then he quit. When I came to live with them, he joined back up again. I trained in the backyard with him a couple of weeks, then I joined too. Every fighter puts in their cash with their opponents. Winner takes all." I shrugged, not looking at him.

This was how I knew how to break that whitecoat's nose, and dislocate the Eraser's knee. This was also how I knew about the car-stealing crime ring- a few fighters had been into it once upon a time. I was a good eavesdropper.

At first, it had been a teaching tool for me-ways to defend myself and incapacitate an attacker. But then it had become an outlet, a way to blow off steam when I was hurting or pissed.

Like now.

"Is this fighting place where we're going now?" Iggy asked.

"You bet," I smirked.

"_What? _That's crazy, Mack. Take it from a guy who's spent his whole life avoiding violence- picking fights never ends well. Besides, you could get seriously hurt. And it's illegal. What if the cops show?" Iggy protested.

I snorted. "Please, the sheriff's son is the ring leader. Everyone down at the department turns the blind eye."

"Mack," Iggy said desperately, grabbing my arm and whirling me to face him, "you're better than this. Than these type of people."

"Am I Iggy?" I snarled, finally breaking under all the stress. "I don't think so. I think I'm a mistake that got a few gifts thrown in."

He frowned, looking at me in a weird way.

I plunged on, shouting now. "There's so much you don't know. So much you could never understand. So much pain and hurt and anger. But there's also so much potential. I can be more, but no one will let me! I won't even let myself!"

Iggy's face screwed up in anger himself, and I was glad. I rejoiced as he took a huge breath; he was about to start yelling himself.

I wasn't wrong. "So what are you saying, Mack? That I'm not good enough, that I'm holding you back? That I can't love you because I don't know every goddamm detail?!"

The frustration in me roared in satisfaction; someone was fighting with me as an equal. It wasn't Christian or Riley that used words to pick apart my weaknesses, or Dad who condescended and made me feel inferior and pathetic.

Iggy and I were chewing each other out as _equals_-bird kid to bird kid.

It struck me suddenly, how lucky I was to have him.

I didn't care we were on a public sidewalk. I didn't care that an elderly couple was staring at us, scandalized, or that we'd made a little kid cry at the park to my right. I ran to Igs, throwing my arms around him. I smashed my mouth to his, kissing him fiercely.

Bewildered by this random turn of events, he wrapped his pale arms around me and kissed me back with such anger I was lifted off my feet.

With such passion.

"Help me understand. Let me get to know you." He demanded, kissing every inch of my face, then my lips again.

"There's so much of me…parts you've never seen. Not all of them are good. I'm…dark…" I whispered around his lips.

"No you're not. I've seen glimpses of you. Flashes here and there. And they're full of color, and light, and flare…"He disagreed.

My breath hitched and stars exploded behind my eyelids.

I pulled back, and smiled up at him. He smiled back down at me warily.

"Please don't fight, Mack." He breathed.

"Okay. But there _is_ somewhere I want to take you." I breathed back.

"Is it the strip club where you've secretly been employed for months?" He asked hopefully.

"No," I laughed.

"Damn…and I had so hoped. Ah, well. Take me there anyway." He said.

"Gladly." I nodded.

**It seems I must split this up. Oh well. I thought this was the funniest thing since Larry the Cable Guy, just because of how one stupid situation can be misunderstood and freaked out about and it's really nothing……**

**Also, I know a few of you might be confused at the sudden mention of a currently non-existant character named Riley. But if you think really hard, I know I've mentioned him in passing in this.....when Iggy let it slip about the beach bunnies, and Mack went all depressed and turned her music up real loud. **

**He's important later on, so remember him, please. :D**

**Review??**


	48. Time to Face the Future

**Ugh. This is so long I'm going to have blisters…..love me, readers. Love me.**

**Mack's POV**

I pulled my keys out of my pocket and inserted one into the huge lock on the heavy wooden door.

"Where are we?" Iggy asked.

"It's a surprise," I said, grinning.

"One good think about being blind; you never half to wear a blind fold." Iggy muttered under his breath.

I just laughed and pushed him inside, then shut and locked the door behind me.

We were in a huge church. The ceilings were extremely tall. Stained glass windows that had no particular pattern and no images lined the walls majestically, throwing multi-colored beams of light around.

The mahogany floor still held a few pews, nut most had been put into storage. A thin platform covered in dark grey velvet rested at the end of the lengthy room. Behind it lay two doors on either side.

It was the most gorgeous building I'd ever stepped foot in.

"Where are we?" Iggy asked again.

"A church." I shrugged.

He raised his eyebrows dubiously. "Why do you have a key to a church? You're not exactly the religious type…"

"Ew. No, I'm not religious. I mean, I'm not an atheist, but I've never been to an actual church service." I said, wrinkling my nose.

"So why do you have a key to one?" He asked.

"Christian's great something uncle died like, a decade ago. We didn't even know he _had_ a great something uncle. But he owned this church, and left it to Christian. Christian didn't want it, so he gave me the key. I get full ownership when I turn eighteen." I explained, smiling slightly.

There was many layers to the onion that was me.

"But anyway…" I trailed off, remembering the reason I'd brought him here. "You said you feel colors?"

He gave a sort of startled jump at this. "Yeah."

"Then you'll love this." I grinned, and pressed his hand gently to a stained glass window.

He gasped, eyes widening in wander. I smiled, wishing I had a video camera. This was too good.

"Whoa," he whispered, dragging his fingers along the glass.

"You like it?" I asked.

"I love it. I want this in my house someday, if Max ever saves the world. Get all the walls in my bedroom done completely in this." He mumbled, his cloudy eyes getting a far-away look to them.

I smiled, studying him.

"Okay; tell me your life story now." He demanded abruptly, turning back to me.

"Come on." I said and unfurled my wings. I flew up, up, up, and into the rafters. I'd wanted to come up here since I'd come here.

Thanks, evil whitecoats, for making it possible.

The rafters were the same mahogany as the floor, thick and wide enough that I could lay down on them. I dangled one arm over the side lazily as Iggy settled into a comfortable position by my feet.

"So what do you wanna know?" I asked.

"Everything." He shrugged.

"Thanks for being specific." I snorted.

I wouldn't tell him everything-he had to find _some_ things out on his own. But I would start in chronological order and go from there.

"Okay," I started, "so, um, my mother was an exchange student. She went to a boarding school not too far from here as a teenager."

"Where was she from?" Iggy asked, giving me his undivided attention. "Italy. Her parents, my grandparents, still live there. I've never met them." I said, smiling.

"Aren't people from Italy, you know….olive colored?" He asked.

I laughed. "Some of them are. My grandpa is, according to mom, and his parents were. But my grandmother and mother are-were- both pale as snow, like me."

"Okay. Go on." He encouraged.

"She saw my dad at a party one of her friend's older sister took them to. They'd already been together once, a year or so before, but the baby from that affair was a stillborn. Moms said there was something wrong with it's back…they took him from her and buried him in an unmarked grave. That was always something that haunted her, that she didn't know where her baby was." My voice had dropped to a whisper.

Iggy didn't say anything, so I continued. "Someone had spiked the punch, he got her into a bedroom, said a few sweet nothings, and she was his all over again."

"What did your mom do with you? When you were born, I mean, and she had to stay in school? What was her name, anyway?" Iggy asked, then smiled sheepishly.

"Marlene. And one of her friend's mom babysitted me." I said.

"So when she got out of high school…" Iggy pressed, but I didn't mind.

"We found a tiny apartment; called it the Shoe Box as a formal name. She worked two or three jobs, enrolled me in preschool at the age of three. She put herself through college, and became a children's therapist." I said.

"Shoe Box…" Iggy snickered. I smiled.

"She was a great mom. Never yelled or screamed, laughed all the time, found silver linings in the darkest of clouds." I whispered.

Iggy frowned thoughtfully to himself.

"And when I turned six, everything changed. Dad made an actual effort to see me. I'd met him maybe once or twice before. Mom couldn't afford a lawyer to protect me. So my weekend visits began." I snarled, unable to help myself.

"You talk like things between you and your dad are…bad." Iggy said hesitantly.

I snorted. "The Union and the Confederacy saw more eye to eye than we do."

Iggy whistled lowly.

"By that time, Gabe had been born. Christian was what made it tolerable. It was really bad, going down there to visit. Christina was a real bitch, even back then, and Dad…well, mostly he ignored me. I remember thinking that when he looked at me, his eyes were cold and dead…like a fish." I said and shuddered, picturing the watery blue irises of m father staring through me, not at me…

Iggy frowned. "Come here."

I laughed shakily. "I can't, there's no room."

"I'll _make_ room," he muttered. He sat up, and carefully I did too. Then he twisted my body around so that I was facing away from him and my legs were nestled between his. We slowly reclined until my back was resting on his chest, my head on his collar bone.

I glanced down, and fought back my fear of heights.

Iggy's fingers were in my hair and I reminded myself that he was here. He wouldn't let me fall.

"You okay?" he asked.

I nodded and went on. "Yeah. So, where was I? Oh, yeah. Dad and Christina. They um…" I whispered the last couple of words.

Deep, instinctive fear ran through me.

Iggy could sense this, it seemed-probably, though, it was just the fact that my body had gone way too tense on top of his.

"What, Mack?" He asked.

I hesitated, not sure how to say it.

"Well, they, um.." I whispered again, squeezed my eyes shut, and plunged on, "take discipline to extreme measures."

Iggy froze under me and I could tell by the look on his face that he was expecting the worst.

Expecting the truth.

"What do you mean?" he asked slowly, enunciating each word.

"The first time it happened, I was seven. They'd both hit the boys, but never me. And it was never anything out of the ordinary, just the little warning pats most kids get. But Dad had told us all to clean up certain sections of the yard, clear it of rocks and stuff, so he could mow. I'd forgotten a medium sized one…..he hit it. The lawnmower's blade cutter had to be replaced. And he…well, he…I never knew….a belt could do that, could feel like that." I bit my lip very, very hard and tried not to cry.

Iggy wore a look of pure horror.

I took several deep breaths.

"Things only got worse from there," I managed.

"Tell me about other things," Iggy begged.

I (carefully) rose up on one elbow, looking him in the eye even though he couldn't see me. "You can't tell anyone about that, not the flock, not anyone. Technically, it's not abuse if there's no bruises or scrapes. I mean, most of the time there _is _bruises and scrapes, but still-"

Iggy cut me off. "Calm down Mack."

I tried, I really did.

"This would probably be a good time to mention I have trust issues. And I keep things bottled up, then explode. I don't see how Fang does it…" I muttered, then gasped.

Fang…Max…._pregnant._

I shoved those thoughts away so I wouldn't hyperventilate.

Iggy chuckled. "Fang's a brick wall. About as interesting as one too."

I smiled and told him about my school, and all the people I knew.

I told him about the time Rebecca, Austin and I had filled balloons with water and dropped them on random people from a fire escape.

I told him how my mom and I had baked a cake for every holiday, and what a horrible cook I was, and how even though I managed to burn each and every thing we ever baked, we ate it anyway.

I told him about the cat I had named Shadow when I was five that took baths with me.

I told him about my deepest fears; needles, blood, tight spaces, heights, bees.

"No way! You're scared of bees?" He gasped and I giggled.

"Are you?" I asked.

"Anything with a stinger." He clarified.

"Oh my gosh," I laughed.

"Yeah. The whitecoats did some funky experiment back at the School, before I lost my eyesight. They told me that sense birds instinctively knew which bugs were dangerous, I should be able to too. Then they said that once I'd identified all the dangerous bugs in a room, I could go back to my cage. To make a long story short, I found the bad bugs the hard way." He said.

"Awwwe!" I cooed, kissing his cheek sweetly.

He barked a laugh. "You know, that _almost_ makes it worth it."

Then I told him about the Clique and how they'd made school a social hell.

I told him how I'd randomly decided to audition for a play, and made it, and loved it, and tried out for every production I could from then on.

I told him _why_ I wasn't particularly religious- why worship a God on a regular basis who ignored me when I begged Him to make my father stop hitting me and my siblings? Why put my faith in something I could not see, when I could take matters into my own hands?

Iggy didn't seem to like the topic himself. He changed it instantly.

"What about those clinics the whitecoat mentioned?" He asked.

"Oh, those." I wrinkled my nose.

"You don't have to-" he started, but I cut him off.

"It's cool. I'd been complaining about all of my advanced classes being too easy. So Mom finally had enough and took me to see some child prodigy dude. He gave me some test which I not only finished in record time, but totally aced. Not one question wrong. He told Mom that I got questions right that most Cambridge professors didn't know the answer to."

"Cambridge?" Iggy asked.

"Yeah. It's an Ivy League college." I said.

"Oh." He frowned, contemplating this.

"Yeah. He was totally freaked by my prediction skills, so he sent me to some psychic tester chick. She ran me through some retarded tests, and I came out one hundred percent positive. Mom and I ignored it until…." I explained, then stopped.

"Until…?" Iggy asked softly.

"I don't know how I knew. I still don't know how I do it. It's not a vision or anything like you would think, it's just like a fact that I randomly know." I said softly, mostly to myself. Then I went on, "one day I _knew_ something big was about to happen. In Asia. And soon. At first, I thought _Taiwan. _Then I thought, _No, China. An earthquake is going to rock China._ I told Mom and she just rolled her eyes, laughed it off. I thought I was being stupid too. Then that night, at three in the morning, she came to get me out of bed. She took me to the living room. CNN was on. There had been an 8 pointer earthquake in China, with aftershocks felt as far as Taiwan."

"That's when she made you promise never to tell your Dad." Iggy stated, didn't ask.

"Right." I nodded.

"I've never told anyone about my predictions before. When I make a huge one, my whole system freaks out. Depression, sort of, but different. I can't even eat, it's like I'm sick." I said, frowning and wandering, not for the first time, why that was.

"It probably takes a lot of energy." Iggy said.

"Yeah, it does. The only big one after that was a tiger attack at the San Fran zoo. It killed one, injured one. And the night before, I had woke p screaming; a nightmare about being attacked by a tiger."

"Bet that was fun," Iggy chuckled sarcastically.

"There's only my mom's death left to tell. You can probably imagine what the year afterward has been like." I said softly.

Iggy waited.

I had never talked about the accident before. Ever. Not to a councilor, or therapist; I hadn't even written it down.

But I could tell Iggy. He'd come along and brought me to life again.

"She came to pick me up early from school. She'd gotten a promotion, and wanted to celebrate with her sign on bonus. It'd been an equally awesome day at school- Clara had strep throat and was absent, and Rebecca had made the school play with me." I laughed a bit to myself. That had been the last true happiness I'd ever felt.

Until now.

"So what happened?" Iggy asked.

"I was in the passenger seat, and we were on the bypass. The light ahead of us was green. The light to the left was red. Some idiot in a huge Ford ran it. Our tiny Neon never stood a chance." I stopped and swallowed. Iggy rubbed soothing circles on my thigh.

"The car flipped three, maybe four or five times. I heard Mom scream, and she flung out an instinctive hand. It hit my chest so hard it left a bruise. There was glass breaking, and this awful metal screeching sound, and the set belt was choking me. I couldn't even muster enough energy past the total terror to cry out. At some point, something really hard hit my head. Everything went black." I whispered it all. The sun streaming through the windows made my skin look blue.

Iggy said nothing.

"Next thing I knew I was waking up in the Intensive Care Unit." I breathed. "Christian was beside my bed. I was hooked up to what seemed like fifty different machines. Tubes were in my nose. I was bandaged up. A fractured ankle, two broken ribs. Busted head." I shrugged.

The injuries weren't what was important. "I looked at Christian and he just shook his head. Mom hadn't made it. I didn't cry, just stared at the ceiling. I felt my whole body go numb. Everything inside me just disappeared. Sort of like that song I sang on the way to the concert." I laughed without real humor.

Iggy was silent, digesting all this.

"I was in the ICU for about a month. I didn't talk unless spoken to, didn't eat nearly as much as I used to. The doctors called it depression, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, then discharged me to my father with the recommendation I see a psychologist. He called them all crack pipes." I snorted at the memory of the looks on the doctors' faces.

"I cut my hair; it used to be so long. I changed my entire wardrobe and style. I believed that Mack had died in that car crash, that someone totally new had to take her place." I breathed.

Iggy nodded slowly after a long while. "So now I'm all caught up."

I smirked at him. "More or less. Some things you'll just have to find out about on your own."

He stuck his tongue out at me and I giggled.

I glanced at the gorgeous windows. "Sunset. We've been gone awhile."

"Whoa. Guess we have. Man, I'm starving." Iggy groaned.

"Uh huh" I nodded, rolling off him and falling clean off our beam. I opened my wings and floated to the ground like a leaf.

I had told Iggy about my past. Now it was time to face my future.

**Damn. Right there…..it's such an opportunity to cut the story off and make everything else a sequel. But why make all my readers go look for a brand new title and reintroduce characters and whatnot when I can just keep on truckin' right here???? **

**I know all this was a lot to swallow. It was a lot to type too….**

**And Riley, the little bugger, still hasn't been explained. Ah, well. Soon enough. **

**The next chapter is very, very tiny. Very. Don't get ticked about that, please. This itself is six F-Nicking pages. **

**F-Nicking is my word. No stealy. **

**Reviews???**


	49. Dear Mother Hen

**Like I said, this one is short, sweet, and to the point. It's also a filler. So sue me. **

**Iggy's POV**

"Where _were_ you two?! I've been worried sick all day. I'd thought you'd been captured or attacked or something." Max shrieked as soon as we had entered the door.

"Sorry, dear Mother Hen," I muttered.

"Don't even start Iggy," Max growled.

"The kids were worried too, you know," She tacked on, almost like an afterthought.

"Actually, we weren't worried. Well, we were for a little while, but Christian said he thought he knew where you had gone. Then he made ice cream. And Gassy blew up a bunch of apples and the kitchen got _totally _messed up, so we had to clean." Nudge informed us.

"Nice, dude! Which one did you use?" I asked eagerly.

"The small one," he answered vaguely, and I slapped him a high five.

"There's a big one?!" Max shrieked.

I heard Fang whisper something in her ear that sounded like _chill_.

Max took a deep breath and then took a purposeful step toward us. Mack tensed up beside me. I threw a protective arm around her shoulders.

"Just don't do that again." Max said, still the stern leader, but a bit softer.

"We won't," Mack said quickly. Too bad. I had just opened my mouth to say, _We haven't done it a first time_.

"Oh, and gee thanks for scaring me to death!" Max said suddenly, slapping Mack lightly on the arm.

Well, lightly for Max.

"Oh, yeah. What was all that about, anyway?" I asked, still thoroughly confused over that.

"Mack made me think I had an expiration date when really it was just a h….bruise." Max explained.

I burst out laughing, and I heard the kids turn around on the couch to look at us.

"So that's why you were checking all our necks," Gasman said accusingly.

"F-Fang g-g-gave you a h-h-hickey?!" I gasped around my laughter.

"Iggy." Max snarled.

"What's that? Wait, does that mean bruise?! Fang, you hurt Max! why would you do that? OMG, maybe you're Fang 2!" Nudge squealed.

"We were…wrestling. It was an accident." Max said uncertainly.

I fell to my knees with the force of my laughter at that. To a perverted mind like mine, anything was fair game.

"Hey, that's exactly what Dad said when his parents found out about me!" Mack shrieked and went into the biggest giggling fit ever.

That particular comment did nothing to relieve my own laugh attack.

"You two are such perverts!" Max grumbled.

"Not funny." Fang agreed.

We just kept laughing.

The kids whispered to each other, very confused.

Mack sobered up after a minute, and went very close to Max.

"So, are you? Pregnant, I mean?" She asked in a nervous whisper.

"No! Why in the world would you think-" Max began to shriek defensively, then stopped and…_giggled. _

"Oh, I see. When I was freaking out about what day it was…" She trailed off suggestively.

"Exactly." Mack said.

I made a face. "Ew."

"Huh?" Fang, it seemed, was utterly lost.

"Dude, trust me. You don't want to know. And Max, you of all people should believe in safety first." I chortled.

Max shrieked wordlessly, probably turning red, and slapped me upside the head.

"Oh." Fang finally got it. Honestly, he could be such a blonde….

Then again, for all I knew, he _was_ the blonde one, and I had black hair.

"Okay….so who's up for Mexican take out?" Mack asked.

And that's how a very eventful, typically dramatic day ended.

**On the next few episodes of **_**Because of the Telepath:**_** A fight scene, a theory, a Voice-chosen destination, a night in Yellowstone, a death (not one of the flock, I promise, that's just terrible and too cliché), and Dr. Martinez is coming up. **

**Guest starring: **_**Total, the Flying and Talking Dog**_**!! **

**I'm putting a poll up on whether or not Total and Akila should get married in this fic….hehe.**

**Go vote on that please, and review!!!!!**


	50. Amniocentesis Test

**Mack's POV**

"May I just say, you two are absolutely adorable?"

I choked on my Coke and looked up at the crazy, white haired old lady in front of me.

"Excuse me?" I managed as I coughed.

She smiled reassuringly. "You and your brother. You have a strong resemblance, you know. I just thought I'd point it out. My brother and I look nothing alike." She said, smiling again, and gesturing to Fang.

Max had persuaded us (us being Christian, Fang, Iggy and I) that the little kids needed some "good, clean bonding time, because now they're family" before we headed out later today to save the world.

The magic word _pizza_ had been enough to convince Iggy and Christian.

Fang and I were a united front for once, and sulked the whole way here.

Now we were at this insane, arcade/indoor jungle gym thing full of screaming little kids and nerdy, game playing teens. And I had a headache.

If this was family bonding, I was fully prepared to disown all of them.

"Thanks." Fang muttered, giving me a _why didn't you do the talking_ look. I just cast him an apologetic glance and rubbed my temples as Granny pattered back to her both where her four grandkids were demanding tokens.

But her comment got me thinking.

Fang _did_ resemble me. Even Nudge had noticed it, the night of Cara's party.

In the way we moved, the way we said things (when he spoke at all). The way he stands, shrugs his shoulders. Holds his fork.

I thought about my mother's first child. About how she had always said there was "something wrong with it's back."

Wings, maybe?

Something clicked in the back of my brain.

It was possible.

It was possible because of two simple words:

Amniocentesis test.

It's a simple procedure, really. A simple test to make sure something isn't genetically wrong with a fetus. A hollow needle is inserted into the womb, and certain liquids are drawn out and tested for genetic disorders. The unborn child's very DNA is tested.

But what if something-like avian DNA-had been in that needle, and had been inserted into a still-developing baby?

Well, the flock was living proof of what would happen.

My mother had had an amniocentesis test with her first child.

**Max's POV- Time Lapse: they've left Mack's house and are now camped out in the southernmost part of…..**

Yellowstone. We were spending the night in Yellowstone.

"Home, home on the range…." Iggy sang in a countrified accent, roasting a hotdog over our fire.

Mack laughed and whacked him playfully on the arm.

"Look, guys! The stars are so pretty. They make me feel small. Don't they make you feel small? So does the ocean. I love the ocean. Hey, Max, can we go back to Hawaii? Or better yet, we can buy our _own_ island, and put panda's on it, because they're almost extinct." Nudge said.

"Actually, sea turtles would be much more practical for an island. They're almost gone too, you know." Mack said casually, licking her fingers.

"Great idea, Mack." Nudge nodded, spearing her sixth hotdog.

I shifted closer to the fire, glad we hadn't been attacked lately.

Fang sighed softly next to me, sprawled out on his back.

"What?" I asked. He stared at me a couple seconds, then shrugged.

"Hey, Max?" Gasman asked.

"Yeah?" I replied warily.

"Can I dye my hair electric blue?" He asked randomly.

"Absolutely not." I spluttered.

"Awe. Why not?" He asked, looking like I'd just told him to go play in traffic.

"Because it'd be too conspicuous, and we can't afford glamorous luxuries." I reasoned.

"You got your hair dyed pink once." Nudge pointed out.

Fang smirked to himself and Angel giggled suddenly. He shot her Fang's Glare of Doom.

"That was for disguise purposes. And it was just highlights, not my whole head." I muttered.

What was Fang thinking that Angel found so funny?

"It's nothing Max." Angel assured me, then giggled some more.

After awhile we bumped fists. I tucked the little kids in, lingering on Angel. I was glad it was me that got to tuck her in, not a foster mother or Anne, or even her own mother that had sold such a beautiful baby away. Even if the beautiful baby was part holy terror.

Angel giggled. "I'm glad too, Max."

I turned mockingly to Iggy and Mack. "You guys need to be tucked in, too?"

"No thanks. I'm a big girl." Mack rolled her eyes.

"Max, baby, those days are over. I've moved on; you should too." Iggy teased. Mack giggled uncontrollably.

Iggy was taking first watch. He pulled on Mack until her head was using his lap as a pillow.

"I'll take second watch." I offered.

"Can I have third?" Mack asked meekly. This sort of surprised me. But then, she was old enough to take a watch.

"Sure." I nodded.

She smiled.

Fang shifted on his sleeping bag.

"Oh, sorry Fang. I forgot to tuck you in." I teased.

He turned to face me, staring at me with serious, black eyes. "You can put me to bed anytime."

My face heated up and I tossed a heavy package of hotdogs at him. "You're as bad as Iggy!" I shrieked.

Mack laughed.

"Hey!" Iggy protested.

I just sighed, flopping down on my stomach. Welcome to a night with the flock. Funny that this is what I had constantly yearned for back at the School.

Funny how Mack fit into our picture perfectly, as if she'd always been here.

**Okay…how many of you think you can see the huge plot twist/cliché coming up?? Anyone?**


	51. Get Them Out!

**Oh my God, I found Mack's perfect theme song……. It's Runaway by Pink. Go listen, seriously. Link on my profile! The poll on whether Total and Akila should get married in this fic is also there!**

**Mack's POV**

My head was still in Iggy's lap come early morning. I'd spent my first watch laying there like that. I'd never realized that a watch like that could be so peaceful and yet so nerve wracking.

The forest was tranquil. Light filtered through the trees. The breeze ruffled the leaves.

That was when I heard the tiny sound; a twig cracking.

_An animal_, the non-psychic part of me said.

_Something sent by evil scientists to take you dead or alive_, the psychic part of me said. Guess which one I listened to?

_Angel_, I hissed in my head, praying she would wake up.

I stretched a bit, ruffling my feathers, giving no sign I'd heard anything.

_Yes?_ Angel asked.

I chanced a glance at her; as far as the naked eye could tell, she was sleeping undisturbed.

_I think there's Erasers or something in the forest. Could you check it out? _I begged.

_Of course_, she said, all business now, and was gone.

I yawned and stretched some more.

_Mack, there's definitely something evil there, but I can't tell what! _Angel's panicked voice.

_Tell Max, _I said immediately, and my heart rate picked up.

_Max says to get up and fly away in exactly ten seconds_ Angel informed me.

10, 9, 8...

Iggy stiffened under me and I knew he'd got the message too.

7, 6...

I curled my fingers around my bag inconspicuously.

5, 4, 3.…

_I hope we make it….please let us make it…._ I prayed to whatever or whoever was in control of the universe.

2, 1!

I bolted up, unfurling my wings and jumping into the air in a second. The others were right there with me. We flew upwards several hundred feet, then hovered there, watching.

Ten to twelve dog things burst into the clearing where we had been sleeping.

Max and the others were stuffing their sleeping bags into their packs.

So I was the first one to see that these weren't normal Erasers.

If you've ever seen the third Harry Potter movie, when Professor Lupin turns into a werewolf…..well, then you'll understand what I was seeing.

These dogs were more lupine, though, with buzz-cut fur, like they were in the army. Their eyes glowed red, like lasers, and they were huge. Muscles rippled under their skin. They ran on all fours, circling.

There was no trace of a man in there.

Max's mouth actually dropped open. Nudge and I shared glances.

Even as we watched, one of the wolves….morphed. And became a man standing there on legs.

_Hmm, he does have a buzz-cut_, I noticed vaguely.

"Flock of Maximum Ride, surrender," he called.

Max looked at him like he was crazy.

"Guys, scatter!" Angel screamed. Instantly I let myself fall several feet, then swerved to the left.

In the next second, a gunshot sounded, breaking through the still morning like an explosion.

Whoa. That had been close; my head had been there a second ago.

"You break it you buy it, moron!" I screamed.

Where had they gotten guns anyway?!

"Nice one," Max cackled , appearing at my side.

"Hey, look! Rangers." Gasman called, pointing to a Jeep barreling towards the clearing.

"Ugh. Alright, let's move out." Max called, and in seconds were higher, and flying free.

Iggy drifted over to me. "What were those things? All Fang said were that they were like Erasers, but different."

"They were huge. And they basically resembled wolves with buzz cuts. They were too skinny, and wiry, but definitely strong, stronger than anything I've ever seen. There were maybe a dozen, and they had glowing red eyes." I described.

Iggy groaned.

"Yeah, no kidding. But I have utter confidence we could've taken them. With about fifty SWAT teams, a tank, and a federal warrant." I dead panned.

Iggy laughed, and I did too.

A few hours later, and we were still flying. My wings were feeling heavy-I'd never flown for more than two or three hours before.

So I was grateful when Nudge complained of being hungry.

Max nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, we need to refuel. Wanna land down there?" She called.

"Where is _there_, exactly?" Iggy called, and Fang swooped over to tell him.

We landed outside a McDonalds.

The poor cashier was a new employee, so we each had to repeat our order-mine was now almost equal to everyone else's-at least three times. She handed us our twenty-something large cups wearily.

"Whoo hoo! Fanta!" Angel cheered.

Max smiled at her.

"Yes, tea!" I squealed. I was thirsting to death.

Fang choked while chugging his own drink. "Tea?! As in, you drink it?" He asked.

I flipped him off.

"Excuse me…." A perky young blonde gestured suddenly to Fang from behind the counter.

Max shrugged at him the tiniest bit. He shrugged back and went to talk to her.

It became apparent that this girl was the type to mix business with pleasure.

I glanced at Max; tight lips, clenched fist, pointedly not looking at him, slamming one cup on the counter as she reached to fill others.

Oh yeah. Classic jealous reaction.

"Max, if it bugs you that much, go stop it." I hissed.

She opened her mouth to say something, then shut it again when I rose my eyebrows.

I sighed heavily. "Go throw yourself all over him. Stake a claim!"

"He's not a puppy. He can talk to whoever he wants." She shrugged tightly.

"Do you _want_ her to shove that piece of paper with her number on it down his front pocket?" I asked, gesturing to the blonde girl-she was scribbling something on a piece of paper.

Anger made Max's face turn a little red, and she _strutted_ up to Fang. With _purpose_. Go Max!

"_Baby_," she pouted, and my mouth dropped open, "what's _taking _so _long_?" And she kissed his neck slowly, seductively, then wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

I glanced back at Iggy; he'd found a booth with the kids. A fry was hanging out of his mouth.

So he'd heard it too.

Fang's eyes actually widened a bit, but he went along with it.

"Um. Enjoy your meal." The worker squeaked and disappeared, red faced, into the kitchen.

Max let Fang go immediately and walked briskly back to the booth. She sat down heavily and avoided everyone's eyes for the rest of our time there.

That is, until the group of senior-in-high school-aged boys walked in.

They eyed us (us being me and Max) as they ordered their food, and chose a booth next to ours. They were loud and rowdy and annoying.

_I had to get somewhere private_.

"Max, come to the restroom with me?" I requested. She met my eyes and nodded.

The only problem was, we had to walk right past the boys to get there.

Max _was_ right behind me, studiously ignoring the boys that pointedly nudged each other and stared at our backsides, until one of them -a large one with brown hair and a quarter back's smile- purposefully tripped her.

Max went down on one side hard and I heard her cry out in spite of herself-that was the side her half healed rib was on.

"Oh, man! Hey, I'm sorry." The boy immediately got to his feet, and helped her up.

"Whatever," Max muttered, brushing herself off.

Fang had stopped chewing back at our booth, and was watching them.

The feeling hit again-I needed to get to the bathroom, away from prying eyes. Something was about to happen…I had to find something out…

"I'm Eric." The boy flashed his perfect smile.

"And she's not your type. Max, I need you to come with me _now_." I gasped, and tugged on her arm, tripping and stumbling when black spots clouded my vision; the effort to hold whatever the hell was happening to me back was overwhelming.

I burst through the door and locked it behind me.

"Mack, what's-" Max asked, then shrieked wordlessly as I fell to my hands and knees on the dirty floor, gasping.

It felt like something was tugging…pulling me through _something_. And then whatever this urge was burst behind my closed eyelids.

_Someone was coming in through the McDonalds door. _

_The wolf man from the clearing and his pack. Oh, God, they were here for us. _

_Fang and Max exchanged worried glances in the booth. Gasman and Angel secretly linked fingers under the table. _

_Nudge's terrified brown eyes met mine and Iggy stopped telling his dirty joke. _

_The boys behind us fell silent. It seemed the whole restaurant had. That's how menacing a vibe these things sent out. _

_The leaders' gaze fell on us. _

_He snarled and __**morphed right there**__. The building was filled with the sounds of screams and breaking glass from the back as the workers fled in terror. _

_There were too many of them, they'd taken us down in seconds. _

_Nudge's whole body was torn to shreds, kept together by pieces of flesh. She was dead. _

_The wolf-man dug his teeth into Angel's back and wings, making her scream in pain before he took off on all fours with her dangling from his mouth. _

_The rest of us were treated likewise. _

_We had been captured, and one of us was gone forever. _

My screams echoed off the bathroom walls. I couldn't stop, couldn't breathe or think. I was dimly aware that I had utterly collapsed, that the side of my face was on the disgusting tile floor.

I sobbed and felt like vomiting, but my body was too exhausted.

"Mack? Mack! Come on, Mack, answer me." Max begged, slapping the floor by my head in desperation. She was on her knees too.

"Max…" I croaked.

"Mack, what happened? Come on, Mack, talk to me." She begged. She was totally flipping out.

How many workers had heard me scream…the flock….

The flock.

Nudge!

"Max! Max, get them out, get them all out! Nudge especially, get them out of this godamm building!" I screamed, realizing suddenly what that had been.

That was going to happen in just a few moments.

Realization lit in Max's eyes too, and somehow she had me on my feet and we both burst through the door and back into the eating area.

"Everyone with me, GET OUT NOW!" Max yelled, and the flock turned to look at us with startled eyes. "Nudge, go!" I screamed, and somehow I found it within my human/avian limits to physically pick her up and toss her at least six feet into the air as we sprinted out the door. She unfurled her tawny wings and was hundreds of feet up in a mere minute.

We all followed her.

"Anyone wanna tell me what that was about?" Gasman asked, sounding scared.

"Oh God…" I gasped and fell several feet as more black spots danced in front of my eyes, but this time it was from exhaustion.

"Mack!" Fang actually gasped and caught me.

"Look, I'm not exactly sure what just happened, but we've got to get out of here." Max said in her leader tone.

And everything faded into darkness.

**Um…yeah, none of that passed the flirtatious waitress happened in the notebook version….but I got caught up and just went with it. Reviews???**


	52. Sacred Flock Member

**That last chapter was somewhat graphic, no? Sorry about that…….**

**I told you there would be a death, and that technically wasn't a flock death because she didn't actually die. Hehehehehe……sneaky…..**

**Mack's POV**

Slowly, I could feel myself returning from the darkness…I was utterly exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to sleep.

But my mind apparently had other options, because my mind's eye showed me all that blood again…let me listen to the screams….saw the death that could've been.

"Nudge!" I shrieked, sitting up.

We were all in a cave, me and the rest of the flock.

The flock.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

We were okay, every single one of us. Even Nudge.

"Mack….how you feeling?" Max asked softly. It was dark outside the cave, I noticed. How long had I been out?

"I….I'm, uh…." I managed, and then started to sway.

Sitting down.

Now that takes _talent_.

"We could hear you screaming all the way out by the booths, Mack! I thought you were dying or something. Then the manager freaked out and started telling people to dial 911." Nudge said, and her lower lip trembled.

Iggy appeared suddenly behind me, and leaned against the cave wall. He spread his legs way out so my body fit between them, then slid me so that I could lean against his chest. I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Yeah. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before." I breathed.

"What was it?" Gasman asked, frowning.

"It was….the future. I literally saw into the future." I said, and my tone was just as baffled as everyone else's.

"I take it the future wasn't all that great." Max muttered, then bit her lip.

I looked at Nudge and shuddered.

Her eyes widened.

"The new Eraser things…….they found us in the McDonalds. And they…well they…Nudge was…" I stuttered, not sure if I should tell them this.

But there was a look on Nudge's face I'd never seen before. I couldn't describe it.

"I was what?" She whispered.

"You were killed." I blurted and her eyes closed slowly. Two tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Oh my God." Max said, and was at Nudge's side faster than light speed.

She cradled her on her lap, and cooed in her ear.

"But that won't happen now, right?" Fang asked.

Somehow I knew with absolute certainty. "No. No, it won't happen. Nudge is safe, we stopped it."

The finality in my tone seemed to calm everyone down.

We spread sleeping bags out, and we all lay side by side this time, making a sort of nest with bodies and sleeping bags and small pillows and jackets.

Being so close to losing a flock member was terrifying. We all seemed to feel the need to be close tonight.

I was wedged between Iggy and Max. On Max's other side was Nudge. Fang was beside her, with Angel and Gasman nestled into his wings.

All together. All safe.

**Time Lapse- next day!**

**Mack's POV**

"Where are we going?" I asked Max as we flew. The warm sun warmed me up, and made me feel much better.

She just sighed.

"You don't know?" I guessed.

She shook her head grudgingly.

I smiled. "That's okay. And one other thing…" I trailed off.

"What?" She asked.

"I think Fang and I are siblings." I said.

Max yelped and dropped several feet. Fang frowned, then stopped when she rose back up to stare at me incredulously.

"What makes you think that?" She gasped.

"Well, because I see certain shared characteristics in us. And because my mom had a stillborn about nine months before me. Something was wrong with it's back…." I explained.

Max frowned, thinking. "How old was she?"

"A teenager." I said warily.

Max's eyes went wide and she looked several times from me to Fang.

"It's possible." She finally nodded.

I bit my lip. "Would a DNA test work?"

Max shrugged. "Maybe. The bird genes might throw it off, though."

Max stopped flying suddenly, and just hovered in mid-air with a weird look on her face. I yelped and flew past her several feet before remembering how to make an aerial U-turn.

"Uh, Igs, what's going on?" I asked as the flock gathered in a hap-hazard circle around her.

"She's probably talking to the Voice." He shrugged easily.

Oh, right. Iggy _had_ mentioned there being a Voice in her head.

Freaky…

"Well gee thanks! That's so damn helpful." Max burst out in frustration randomly.

I blinked a few times. This was just plain weird.

"What's happening?" Fang asked bluntly.

"It's speaking in that elusive way. And it told me to save the world. Again." She shrugged.

Oookaaayyyyy.

Then she focused her eyes on me. "I asked about your…theory. The test you mention ed would work."

I smiled a bit. "Thanks."

She just shrugged.

"What test?" Gasman demanded.

"Yeah, I'm totally lost." Nudge agreed.

"Well, I'm not. Not anymore. Guys, we're headed to Baja." Max said confidently.

I squealed. "Baja California?!"

"What other Baja is there?" Gasman asked.

I stuck my tongue out at him and he smiled innocently.

"Ooh, Max, can we stop at your mom's house? I miss Ella. I wanna see her." Nudge begged.

Oh, right. Max had a half sister named Ella. So it only made sense she had a mom too.

"Anyone care to fill me in?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah. Max's mom is named Dr. Martinez. She's really nice, and a vet, which is ironic. She has a basset hound named Magnolia, and she lives in Mesa Arizona. She makes the best cookies in the whole wide world, too! Plus, she's the founder of the CSM, the Coalition to Stop the Madness. It's all about global warming and saving polar bears and stuff. Did you know polar bears _don't _live in Antarctica? I was pretty disappointed about that. We go all the way there, and there's tons of white and snow and cold, but no polar bears. The only color Iggy can see is white, you know." Nudge was a sacred flock member today, having almost lost her yesterday, so for once no one told her to shut up.

"Yes, we can go to Mom's." Max nodded.

We took off again.

And the thing was; I felt like I'd been flying with them my whole life.

**There's a time lapse of a couple of days coming up here……the next chapter is when they get to Dr. M's house!**


	53. What Happened

**Yay! This is the chapter when the flock arrive at Max's mom's house. Remember, Mack has never met Total, or Jeb for that matter, so this is going to be……interesting. **

**Max's POV**

"Okay guys. Let me handle the introductions of Mack, okay?" I said as we hovered over Mom's house.

Gasman looked at me curiously. "Why?"

"Because I said so," I sighed, rolled my eyes, and began circling down to the trees below.

It wasn't long, of course, before Ella ran screeching into the yard.

I turned to a nervous, fidgety Mack. "Wait right here okay?"

She nodded and bit her lip. Iggy kissed her lightly on the cheek, then the flock followed me into the yard.

"Hey you guys! Oh my God, what are you doing here? We've missed you!" Ella squealed, catching me in a bone crushing hug.

"We missed you too." I assured her, hugging her back until my mom ran into the yard. Then I passed my half sister on to Nudge.

Man, Ella got these mom-hugs every day…

"Welcome home," Mom whispered and I almost melted.

But I still had to tell her about Mack.

"Mom….Ella….what would you say if I told you there was a new addition to the flock?" I asked, pulling away from them both.

They blinked a few times.

"You guys leave me behind just three weeks and suddenly I'm being replaced," Total sniffed, trotting out of the house with his head and tail held high.

Akila, looking as amused as a Malamute possibly could, followed him.

"No one could ever replace you Total!" Angel cried, immediately fawning all over him and showering him with kisses.

"Her name is Mack and she's…..well, sort of indescribable." I muttered, turning back towards the trees and gesturing wildly for her to come on out.

A beat, and then she stepped shyly forward. Her beautiful new wings hung loosely at her sides.

Mom and Ella gasped.

"Hi. I'm Mack." Mack said awkwardly when she reached us.

"Hello Mack. I'm Valencia Martinez, Max's mom. It's wonderful to meet you." Mom said and stuck out her hand.

Mack shook it.

"Um, there's….more. Lots more, actually." I said shifting my weight.

"Well, come in. Tell us everything." Mom said, smiling.

**Whoo! Time lapse time! By the way, in the upcoming scene, Total is somewhere with Akila….planning the wedding!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know if I'm actually gonna **_**include **_**the wedding, but it will be mentioned! So yeah…**

We started from the beginning, telling it as a flock. Everything up until right now.

"Um. Wow. That's a lot to take in." Mom said, staring at all of us, especially Mack.

"So you were normal once?" Ella asked eagerly, then seemed to realize her rudeness and turned red before slapping her hands over her mouth.

But Mack just laughed. "I don't think I've ever been just normal, but, yeah."

"That's so cool," Ella breathed.

She always thought my flock was _so cool_.

"Um, one more thing," Mack said, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Yes?" Mom asked.

"I think Fang and I might be….siblings." She whispered.

Stunned silence from every being in the room. Even Fang's mouth had dropped open a little.

"I don't know what kind of crack you're smoking, babe, but you're _definitely _tripping." Iggy deadpanned.

"Max talked to the Voice about getting a DNA test. It said it would work. I'm up for it. As long as no needles are involved, anyway." Mack quickly intervened, as if having the Voice back her up would make her theory more credible.

"I'm a vet…" Mom trailed off, making it clear that she couldn't test them herself.

"I'm not," said Jeb's voice from the doorway.

"Christ!" I shrieked and turned around, glaring at him.

"Really Maximum, you get too engrossed in your story telling. You didn't even hear me coming." Jeb looked at me reproachfully.

"Bite me." I snarled and Mack blinked a few times.

"Hello everyone. Sorry to just bar-" Jeb began to say, then cut off, staring at Mack. He looked at her as if she was his own personal nightmare.

"Um. Hi. I'm Mack." Mack said, squirming. Iggy scooted closer to her on the couch, putting an arm around her.

Jeb's nostrils flared. Interesting.

"I know who you are, young lady. The question is, what are you doing here?" He was positively outraged. I hadn't seen Jeb like this since Gasman tried to bomb Fang's dresser back at the E house and ended up destroying half the kitchen.

"Well right now, I'm sitting. I imagine if Dr. M's hospitality comes through, later I'll be sleeping." Mack snarled right back

Hehe.

"You were captured, right? That _is _how you got the wings?" He demanded, looking almost terrified now.

"Excuse me, but who the hell are you?!" Mack gasped, looking bewildered.

Jeb snorted. "In which lifetime?"

Uhh…..yeah. Now I was lost.

Jeb sighed heavily, and began pacing, running his fingers repeatedly through his graying hair. He muttered things like "not supposed to happen yet," and "wonder if they know."

You see; most kids get stuck with biological dads that pick them up from the hottest parties at ten every weekend.

I get the deranged scientist.

That may or may not be evil.

"Okay. I'm going to tell this story once and only once. It never leaves this room. It never leaves the lips from any of you, even under torture. Get it? Got it? Good. So if you don't want to hear it, I advise you leave now." Jeb finally said, turning to glare at us.

No one moved, not even Mom or Ella.

Jeb peered at us, lingering on Mack.

Okay. Of all the creepy things for him to do in the last several months, this one was right up there with _Come back from the dead_.

"Fang's mother was a young, Italian exchange student." He stated, and Mack gasped. She and Fang shared a weird look.

"His father was an already married, older man. But none of this is important. What's important is, his mother had an amniocentesis test. And in the hollow needle required to do the test, was avian bird genes." It was as quiet in here as if, say, the Pussycat Dolls had just bombed an airport.

"Everything went as planned. Fang was born with no complications, a perfect bird-kid specimen, no slander meant towards you, Fang. His mother was told that he was dead, a still born, taken and buried in an unmarked grave. Everything was fine." Jeb paused, then said, "Until his mother got pregnant again not a month later."

"So Fang and I are only…..nine, ten months apart?" Mack gasped, staring at Fang with wide eyes.

Was it just me, or was my life like some soap opera for science nerds?

"Would you be quiet?" Jeb snapped.

"Would you just tell the story?" Nudge growled and Jeb actually jumped a bit. Nudge never snapped at anyone.

Jeb sighed heavily yet again, with the air of one using recycled patience. "As I was saying, his mother got pregnant again. This time with Mack. This would've been perfectly fine, except for one thing. The bird genes had spilled into her eggs."

Mack let out a little squeak.

"So we kept a close monitor on her, and her unborn child. The baby-Mack-would never be totally human. But she wouldn't be enough of a bird-kid to have wings, or really be considered an experiment. That is how you survived this operation, Mack. You already had bird genes. They just added a few more." Jeb ran his hand through his hair again.

"Why is this top secret?" Ella asked curiously.

"If it got out that Itex had made a slip-up…that they had made a mistake and let that mistake go _uncorrected_…" Jeb trailed off menacingly. I think we all got the picture.

"Mack is my sister?" Fang asked and his voice actually cracked.

"Yes." Jeb nodded hesitantly.

"There's that word again," Mack muttered under her breath. "Mistake."

"You are _not_ a mistake," Iggy grumbled, kissing her jaw and her neck. She smiled a watery smile at him, but managed nothing else.

"Oh no. I see this has already gotten too far out of control." Jeb moaned.

"What?" I asked, voice like steel. This guy was being very irritating today.

"Have you told those two yet, Max? Have you told them what they are?" He turned to stare at me accusingly.

I knew instantly what he was talking about. "No."

"So they're like that on their _own_?" He gasped, looking clearly disgusted.

"What is he talking about?" Iggy asked.

I took a deep breath. "Back when Mack was having her surgery….the Voice told me you two were soul mates."

Stunned silence, and then two very ticked bird kids.

"WHAT?! You knew all this time and never thought to mention it?" Iggy yelped. He looked like he wanted to explode something.

"Well, I've been kind of busy lately." I huffed.

"We had the right to know this little piece of info, Max. It's our lives too." Mack cried.

Jeb put his fingers between his lips, and whistled impressively. We all fell silent. "You see," he said, "this is why this can't happen. None of this. For three main reasons. One, it distracts you all from your true purpose; saving the world. Second, if Itex or the School or anyone else that might want you found out, they'd stick you in a Breeding Program so fast your heads would spin. And third, Mack isn't supposed to be here with you. Because very time, yes, _every damn time_ this girl comes into play, everything falls apart."

"What are you talking about?! We love Mack." Nudge protested.

"Yeah!" Angel and Gasman agreed, frowning.

Jeb slumped his shoulders a bit. "And this is where things get complicated."

"Spit it out, daddio." I muttered under my breath.

"Alright. Mack, as I'm assuming everyone knows, is psychic. There is several categories into which she may fall. One, the one that is her strong point, is _precognition, _or the ability to know ahead of time what is going to happen. Another is _clairvoyance, _which most people associate with the ability to see ghosts, when really what it is is the ability to see what other people cannot, such as visions, or auras, or yes, even spirits. The last one is very, very rare. It's called _clairsentience_, and it's a basic term for _empath_. Mack can read into other people's emotions, sense vibes and energy." Jeb explained.

Then he glanced at Nudge and Angel. "You two also have some form of psychic ability, though it's not what most people would consider _psychic_. Telepathy, Angel, is a type. _Psychometry, _Nudge, is the ability to hold and object and know about the circumstances and events in the life of the owner of the object. Some police departments actually use people with this skill in their searches for lost children."

"What does any of this have to do with-" Mack started to say, but then he cut her off.

"I'm getting to that. Because you are so in tune with your abilities, you probably have the ability to remember most, if not all, of your past lives. Your destiny, Mack, is intertwined with the flock's. Did you kids honestly think you were brought together by happy chance? No, of course you weren't. But your fates are different. Max and the flock are meant to save the world. Mack is meant to save the flock."

Then Jeb sighed heavily again. "But every time-in every life- this girl comes into the lives of the flock members too soon. She brings them together too soon. Of course, in this case, they were already together, but she's _bonding_ them too soon. The flock have to save the world first. Then Mack can come in and begin her part in this."

Anger flared up inside me. "Are you saying we don't love each other? That we don't care for each other at all?"

Jeb blinked. "Of course not, Max. But the flock is held together by one common goal-to survive, to beat their enemies. As individual _people_ you would fall apart in no time because you wouldn't know what to do with yourself. So, if Mack is introduced too soon, and she gets all caught up in the fighting and fleeing, she is going to become one of you, and her bonding effect won't work, because she'll be one of the crumbled pieces."

God, I needed an Advil.

"You can't take me away from my brother, not when I've just found him. And Iggy, you can't take him from me either. And Max and the kids…..their like family." Mack was practically hyperventilating.

"Well, of course I can't, not _now_, not now that you're a target." Jeb scowled.

"Wait…I'm confused. How does science and this paranormal stuff mix?" Ella frowned.

"Ever heard of EVP's?" Mack asked.

"Yeah, sure. Their featured on the ghost hunter shows my friend Amber watches." Ella shrugged.

"There's one example." Mack said, then turning, and seeing everyone else's confused expressions, she explained, "They're supposed recordings of ghosts' voices."

"Exactly." Jeb looked relieved that at least some one understood him.

"So, what do we do now?" Gasman asked.

"Well, we need to keep those new Erasers at bay, for one. And Mack and Iggy out of captures way. They've been all over each other out on the street. Anyone working for the School or Itex could've seen them." I frowned.

Fang frowned too. "What about you and me?" he asked.

Ella squealed and Mom gasped happily.

Gee, way to keep the cat in the bag, Fang.

"Well, we really haven't-" I began.

"McDonalds." Fang contradicted, shaking his head.

I swore. A lot.

"What happened at McDonalds?" Ella asked, giggling.

"Yes, what happened at McDonalds?" Jeb asked sternly.

I chose to ignore them all.

"Okay, well, since Max is obviously not one to kiss and tell……" Jeb gave me a look before turning back to Mack, "how much alcohol have you ever consumed at once?"

**Yay! What a little plot twist. Yep, I'm full of lovely surprises. So, Mack is Fang's sister. I know it's such a cliché, but in my mind, there was no way she could've survived the operation without prior genetic bird background. And that was the only way that made sense. **

**So….review???**


	54. I Begged Thee Not To

**Oh my God. So I log on to my email account, and I glance at my inbox….and there's 22 new messages. **

**My first thought was "Oh my damn, they all hated it, and every single one of those are flames because Mack and Fang are siblings." **

**So when I peered through my closed eyelids and saw they were AWESOME reviews and story alerts and story favorites and favorite authors, I was floored. **

**You guys are the best!!!!**

**Mack's POV**

"How much alcohol have you ever consumed at once?" Jeb asked.

I knew instantly where he was going with this. Just because I'd never _believed_ in my psychic abilities doesn't mean I'd never _researched_ them.

"Oh no. No way buddy." I said firmly, shaking my head back and forth.

"What is it?" Dr. M asked, looking concerned.

"Alcohol strengthens psychic ability." I explained.

Her eyes widened. "Jeb…"

"Why don't you take the kids out for ice cream, Valencia?" Jeb asked pleasantly.

"No! We want to be here for Mack." Angel protested, sticking her chin out stubbornly.

I made a snap decision. "You guys should go. Really."

"But Mack-" Nudge started to protest but I cut her off.

"Nudge, we've been flying _forever_, and I know you guys are hungry. Go have fun, we'll be done here in a little while." I smiled sweetly.

Nudge hesitated, then turned to Max. Max nodded.

After a few minutes, the only ones left in Dr. M's house were me, Max, Fang, Iggy, and Jeb.

"Max, I think your mother has a few bottles of wine in the fridge kept for special occasions. Could you bring one in here, please?" Jeb asked nicely, smiling at Max.

"Whoa, wait. You're going to get her drunk?! Then what?" Iggy yelped, enfolding me protectively in his arms.

"Then she's going to remember, Iggy. She's going to remember why she has to stay away from you all." Jeb said, glaring.

Iggy looked like he wanted to hit Jeb in the head with a 2 by 4.

"Chill, Igs. I'll be fine." I whispered.

Max went into the kitchen for a moment, then returned with a full bottle of dark red liquid. The cork was already gone.

I looked at the random middle aged man that had just spontaneously burst in and told me to get drunk. "I don't know how to remember. We _are_ talking about past lives, right?"

He scoffed. "Of course. And it'll come naturally. Just drink."

So I did. At first I didn't feel very differently. And I didn't like the taste, either.

But then I noticed how rich it tasted, how sweet it was, and then came the warm, happy feeling sliding through my whole body.

"Mmm." I said vaguely, putting the bottle back to my lips and tilting my head back.

"Did you know birds get drunk faster than humans?" I asked when I had swallowed.

"Um, no." Max said.

"Am I drunk yet, Igs?" I asked. Suddenly I was very aware that I was sitting between his legs.

"I don't know. Maybe." He said doubtfully.

I giggled, letting the warmth seep through me. It was _great_…

I took another drink.

I turned my head to the side and pressed my lips to Iggy's throat. He chuckled and looked away awkwardly.

"No taking advantage of my newfound drunk sister." Fang said flatly.

Max squeezed his hand. Jeb rolled his eyes.

"It's not taking advantage if I _want_ him to, Fangy." I grumbled.

"Why, oh why, can't my flock be normal bird-kids?!" Max moaned.

"I think you're far enough gone," Jeb muttered after awhile, snatching the bottle out of my hands.

"Hey!" I protested.

"Focus, Mack. Focus very hard on anything you want, but please just focus." Jeb instructed.

I frowned. "I'm really warm." I shrugged out of my tee-shirt, revealing my tank top underneath.

Iggy made a little sound and Fang growled.

I ignored them and threw myself into the feeling of warmth.

At first only memories from this life came to mind. My mother, the plays I was in, Rebecca and Austin, my siblings. The flock.

But then I sensed something. Something huge. And more. A thin barrier blocked it. Somehow, I _pushed _against it.

And gasped, trying not to hyperventilate at the overwhelming sensation.

Hundreds, if not thousands of memories that were mine and yet weren't-names, dates, places, images, faces, patterns, words-they all flooded around me.

"How do I make it stop?!" I screamed, burying my face in my hands.

"You can't!" I was dimly aware of Jeb shouting at me through my sea of memories.

"What are you doing to her?! Mack!" Iggy shouted.

His voice and that warmth I was still feeling triggered something…..

**Catherine's POV (No, I'm not on crack. I know that no Catherine has ever been mentioned. Just keep going, it'll all make sense.)**

"Are you frightened?" Josiah's voice startled me. I hadn't heard him approaching. I turned my head a tiny bit to look at him.

"No. I know my own innocence." I said firmly, giving no hint at the fear trembling inside me. God preserve me…

"I am." Josiah admitted, looking away from me. His hands clenched around the bars of my dank cell, the knuckles turning white.

"Do not be. It is not you who is to be burned." I said lightly.

"Do not utter that word," he spat and I tried not to flinch. His face softened into almost desperation as his green eyes roved over my dirty face.

I stood up, raising one eyebrow. "Why not? For burned-a charred corpse-is what I shall be by this time tomorrow eve."

Josiah swallowed hard. "That is not what you shall be. You shall be a beautiful, heavenly angel. And hopefully you'll be waiting on me to be the same."

My eyes filled with tears and it was my turn to look away. Leaving Josiah behind in this world would be the hardest thing I'd ever done.

"Promise me something," I managed to whisper. Then, with a slightly bitter smile, I added, "If thee dares to promise a witch anything."

Josiah emitted a low, almost feral growl. "Do not call thyself what those fools have dubbed thee."

"Just promise me this thing; do not watch tomorrow." I turned my head to stare at him fiercely.

"I cannot promise that," Josiah shook his head.

"Please," I begged, moving to grasp his hands through the unforgiving bars. "T'is the last earthly thing I desire."

Josiah swallowed again, searching my eyes. Then he nodded. "I shall try my hardest to stay away."

That still allowed for a loop hole. I saw that. But I also saw that this was the best promise I was going to get.

"Time to go," my jailor's eyes were cold, almost dead, such as a fish's might be. I found it grimly amusing that he was my own uncle, and yet held no compassion for me.

"Goodbye, my love," I breathed, kissing his palm.

"We shall not be parted, even by death." He breathed back, kissing the delicate inside of my wrist.

I spent the rest of the night in silent prayer, watching the night sky, drinking in sights I would see no more.

"It's your time, dear Catherine," the preacher said at dawn.

"I know, father," I said, offering him the brightest smile I'd ever offered anyone.

He smiled sadly back.

During my walk through the town, people followed me and my uncle, jeering and throwing rotten fruit. I ignored them, soaking up sunshine and clean air.

I [rayed for my soul and for Josiah's. and I begged God he would not be at my execution.

My hands were bound to a tall stake of wood after I had climbed clumsily up a pile of saplings. My own uncle did the binding, very roughly. But what did a bit of discomfort matter when I'd be dead within the hour?

My charges and death prayer were recited, and the pile was set ablaze.

I tried to keep my wits about me.

But when I realized how close the flames were getting, and all the things I would never do, I began crying, sobbing really. The smoke and cheering crowd only egged my tears on. I writhed against the bonds, trying in vain to save my condemned life.

I screamed when the hem of my dress caught fire.

At the edges of the woods, a flash of red caught my eye. Wildly, I turned my head.

_No_.

Josiah.

What was the foolish boy doing?! I'd told him to stay away!

"No! Please, no, please, please, no, no, no," I sobbed.

The fire licked it's way up my claves, scorching unlike anything I'd ever felt and I screamed and screamed.

Soon enough, the smoke filled my lungs, making it impossible fore me to breathe.

Thank thee God, it would end soon.

"Josiah," I breathed, slumping as the world spun.

"Catherine!" I dimly heard a male's voice shout.

I strained to lift my head, and saw Josiah sprinting towards me.

"No," I moaned, "Josiah."

"Catherine!" Josiah screamed, and I thought of never marrying him or bearing his children. Who would get to do so in my place?

"Get back son!" The governor warned, shoving him.

His eyes met mine.

I let mine flutter closed.

Then everything faded away.

**Ugh. Okay, one or two more morbid, dreary, depressingly emo chapters, and the secret of Riley shall be revealed in there, and then we're back to the fun stuff. Well, sort of. **

**But right now, it's Mack's POV!!!**

Ugh. My head hurt like hell.

Then everything from the night before came rushing back in vivid detail and I moaned, burying myself in pillows.

I had a freaking hangover.

But that meant…

Oh. My. God.

I had been burned alive. Been accused of being a witch. I had had _blonde_ hair!

I sat up groggily, wiping at my face and fighting back the growing nausea. Who had carried me to Ella's room?

"Max," I called out, then slapped a hand over my mouth so I wouldn't puke.

Instantly I heard running feet, then the door flew open.

I squinted in the sudden light, flinching away from it like I was a vampire.

"Shut off that damn light," I grumbled, as politely as I could under the circumstances.

"Mack, honey, how do you feel?" Valencia asked, smoothing back hair from my face.

I had a sudden yearning to have my own mother back.

"Like I was hit in the head with a piece of wood wrapped in velvet and like I have the stomach bug all at the same time," I clarified.

"Drink a lot of water, take a lot of painkillers. It'll pass," she advised.

"So, what's up?" Fang asked.

I stared at him like he was crazy.

"You kept moaning about a fire…" he trailed off suggestively.

It all came rushing back a second time.

But it wasn't just that one scene. I had Catherine's whole life on file!

"Wow Mack! A witch?" Angel gasped.

And down goes the mind blocks.

"_No_, I _was not_ a witch," I sniffed.

"I'm confused," Gasman complained.

"Jeb got Mack drunk last night to help her remember her past lives. She got all mumble-y about a fire and then totally just fainted dead away. I helped Mom carry her in here when you guys got home from the ice cream shop last night. Now I'm totally lost." Max summarized.

Gasman's eyes widened. "Is it like when I ate those French chocolates?"

"Yep." Max nodded.

Gasman gave me a sympathetic look.

"Anyone want to make cookies?" Nudge asked randomly.

"Ella, go with them. I don't want my house burned down." Valencia pleaded, as Angel, Gasman, and Nudge ran whooping down the hallway. Ella laughed and followed.

"So?" Fang asked.

"Everyone know about the Salem Witch Trials?" I asked.

They nodded.

"Well, um, it was around then. And I'd been tried as a witch. My name was Catherine, and I was blonde….they found me guilty and sentenced me to-" I cut off suddenly, remembering the fire on my skin and the smoke in my lungs…

"Burn at the stake," Fang nodded.

"Yeah. But I was in love with Josiah…" I mumbled, frowning.

Then I gasped and screamed at the top of my lungs "_OH MY GOD THAT WAS YOU!" _And pointed at Iggy.

"Who?!" Iggy yelped, then I remembered he was blind and couldn't see.

"You, Iggy! But I don't understand how you're still with me…" I faded to a whisper at the end, totally in awe.

"Soul mates, remember?" Max pointed out.

"This is extraordinary," Dr. M breathed.

"It was so horrible," I moaned and shuddered. "Josiah was screaming my name over and over and he wasn't even supposed to be there."

Then it hit me: _Josiah wasn't supposed to be there_.

I snapped my head around to look at Iggy. "You absolute bastard!" I spat, dizzily making my way out of bed to smack his chest feebly.

"Me?! What did I do?" He yelped.

"You came to my execution, even though I begged thee not to! Thou shouldst be ashamed of thou self! My last mortal wish and you dishonored it." I seethed.

I felt my feathers bunch and almost jumped. I'd forgotten I even had them.

"Thee?" Max asked.

"Thou self?" Dr. M gasped.

"Shouldst?" Fang asked.

"Should I be prepared to have my eyes gauged out? Not that they're very useful, but still." Iggy asked warily.

"God, I'm so freaking confused. These lives keep getting mixed up and I can't sort out my emotions. And why does my _head still hurt_?" I demanded, moaning.

Max narrowed her eyes. "Jeb, get in here." She called.

A moment later and that Jeb dude walked in. "Oh, yeah. There's something else I'm confused about. Who the hell is Jeb?"

"Ah. You're up. So, who were you?" He asked briskly, clasping his hands together. He ignored my rather rude greeting.

"Catherine." I muttered, flopping back on the bed. Iggy sat next to me carefully.

"Oooh. Very interesting. Though Catherine was not one of your more _passionate_ personages." Jeb complimented lightly.

I blinked. "You know about all my lives? How?"

He chuckled somewhat darkly. "I've been in most of them. The flock have been in all of them, even if only for a few days and one at a time."

"Really?" I breathed.

He nodded.

"Okay, that's enough. Mack needs to rest." Valencia shooed everyone except Jeb out. She actually kissed my forehead before leaving herself.

"Do I have to get drunk every time?" I asked quietly, dreading every morning I would wake up like this.

"No." Jeb said shortly, not looking at me.

It was odd. He Didn't know me and I certainly didn't know him, but I felt like I'd _met_ him.

"You can't just rip me away from Iggy. He's my soul mate. We're just two halves of the whole….I realize that now more than ever." I said slowly.

"I'm never the one to do the ripping, Mack. Circumstances, sometimes other people, and almost always death. _They_ rip you two apart." Jeb shook his head and rubbed his temples.

"Death?!" I gasped.

"You'll see. Sleep tight." He said forebodingly.

Dr. M came in with an Advil as he left.

Thank thee God for 21st century medicine.

**So…….review??????**


	55. Riley

**Okay. I owe you all an apology. I know I'm , like, an updating machine on the weekends normally, and this last weekend I updated……what? Once? **

**The reason for this is my family took a tiny little trip and….there's no wireless internet on the interstate, unfortunately. **

**So: here's the next chapter. **

**Max's POV**

"So, why exactly are you going to Baja?" Mom asked, stirring the sizzling meat in the pan. I love taco night.

"The Voice said we needed to meet someone there, and that meeting would make or break our trust in her." I said, frowning.

"Do you think Mack's okay?" Iggy asked for the bazillionth time. I was beginning to wonder if the flock needed a chef that badly….

"She drank wine, Igs, not poison," I reminded him.

"Yeah well," he muttered.

"Hey, Max, can I give you a makeover?" Nudge asked, skipping into the kitchen.

"No." I said flatly, staring pointedly at the floor to avoid the Bambi eyes. I was grateful when Fang shooed her off.

I heard slow footsteps on the stairs and turned to see Mack clambering down them. She had a hand pressed to her temple and a scowl on her face but was otherwise fine.

"Hey honey. Feeling better?" Mom asked, softness on her face.

"Yeah. The headache has decreased to that of a piercing throb." She said flatly.

I tossed her the aspirin bottle.

She gave me a grateful look and downed a couple without water.

**Mack's POV**

I could feel the part of me that was Mackenzie slowly coming back in- the dark, brooding street fighter with a sucky home life invading my thoughts.

I'd told Iggy before; premonitions and the like drained my energy totally and utterly, and this past life thing was no exception.

Hating myself was a habit that died hard.

I forked a piece of lettuce on my taco salad and chewed mechanically.

What had I been doing these last couple of weeks? Fooling myself into thinking everything could go back to being fine and peachy just because I'd made a few new friends?

These kids didn't technically exist.

I did.

God I was an idiot.

I thought randomly of Riley, the street fighter that was a fierce opponent, a fiercer best friend, then something more. His anger that gave me more bruises than strictly necessary even out of the ring…..

Had he been right? When he'd said that if I couldn't even act like a normal criminal, I'd never be a normal human being? That I'd never find a niche anywhere?

_Well, _I thought wryly, _apparently I never was a normal human being. I wasn't even completely human! And Christina was right when she said I was a mistake……_

"Mack, stop!" Angel cried suddenly, breaking my reverie.

I hadn't noticed, but everyone had been talking and laughing as I'd drifted off into space. Now it was dead quiet.

"Stop rifling through my head, Angel. It's not exactly rainbows and butterflies up there after a big psychic thing." I muttered, sipping calmly at my drink.

I flinched when Iggy reached out to stroke my cheek, trying to decipher my emotions via touch.

I hadn't flinched when I was touched since Riley had moved away.

In a weird, sick way, it was comfortably familiar.

"Mack, I said stop." Angel said sternly.

"And I said get out of my head." I snarled, slamming down mind blocks.

"May I be excused?" Gasman asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, us too." Nudge chimed in, glancing anxiously at Ella.

"Of course." Valencia nodded and the three scampered up the steps. A moment later I heard them playing happily with Total.

That dog freaked me out almost as much as Max's Voice did.

"This episode on _Max's Flock-Unedited_," Max muttered under her breath.

Fang's lips twitched.

"Do you want to tell them? Or should I?" Angel asked politely.

My mouth fell open. "Angel, there are some things people just shouldn't know, okay? It's no one's business but mine."

"We can help you with it though." Angel said, big blue eyes innocent.

"I don't need help." I grumbled, looking away.

"She was thinking about this guy named Riley she used to date and how he used to hit her, but then he moved away, and she was thinking her step mom was right and that she is a mistake." Angel blurted.

"Gee, thanks Angel." I hissed and went to put my plate and things noisily in the sink.

The flock and Dr. M was staring at me with wide eyes when I turned around.

"Oh come on," I pleaded, my voice an octave higher than it should have been, "it's not that big of a deal. Where's Jeb, anyway?"

"Don't try to change the subject, Mack." Max said quietly.

"I'm not! I honestly wanna know." I squeaked.

"Anything else we should know? Have you been addicted to meth? Cocaine? Are you a former gang banger?" Max asked and I could see her cheeks turning redder the madder she got.

"Hey, we happened to run into a very hospitable gang in California." Iggy protested in my defense, but everyone ignored him.

"Did you screw this Riley guy?" Max demanded next.

I snorted at the irony of it all. "No. That's the main reason he got so ticked at me. I refused to."

"You let some guy hit you?" Fang asked, clearly disgusted.

I gaped at him. "My mother had just _died_. I had _severe depression_. I'd been sent to live in the darkest pit of _hell imaginable_. Do you honestly think I cared what he did to me?"

"Touché." Fang mumbled.

"Would you guys leave her alone?" Angel asked angrily. "I didn't tell you so you could yell at her, I told you so you could tell her that she isn't a mistake."

"Mack, honey…..those aren't faults of yours. Those are just bad things that have happened to you." Dr. M said when everyone else was silent.

"Yeah, I guess." I shrugged.

"That sort of is like the whitecoats and us. If you really squint your eyes and turn your head to the side," Max joked, giving me a tiny smile.

I smiled back at her.

"Mack, phone!" Nudge called, dashing in to give it to me, then dashing back out, probably to tell the others a war hadn't broken out in the kitchen.

"Hello?" I asked, leaning heavily against the counter.

"Hey Mackenzie," Christian mumbled.

I could tell from his voice something was wrong.

"What is it?" I demanded.

"Um, dad's home. Early. Am I on speaker?" He asked and I knew it was bad.

"No," I managed, and glanced at Fang. Instantly he was by my side and I turned the phone out so he could hear better. This was his family now too.

"Dad came home a day early and Gabe still hadn't cleaned his room, and was talking on the phone to a friend from school," Christian began.

"Oh, God," I moaned, and Fang gave me a weird, questioning look.

"Bruises?" I asked next.

"No, worse. Mackenzie….I'm in the hospital. He's got a broken cheek bone." Christian told me.

I blinked and my knees almost buckled. "But…no…that's not possible. He's never, I mean, he wouldn't take it….that…far." I stuttered.

"The excuse he came up with was that we'd been playing baseball and I hit him with the bat on accident." Christian went on, tone bitter.

"Dad's blaming you?" I snarled, my fingers curling into my fist in anger.

"Yep." Christian's grim voice said simply.

My mind raced. I had to get them out of that house. For good.

"Christian, you turn18 tomorrow!" I gasped.

"Yeah. Happy birthday to me," he laughed without humor.

"No, I meant you could fight for legal custody." I giggled to avoid going into full blow hysterics.

The other end of the line was silent.

"Think about it! You could run tonight, take the train to Knoxville or Nashville or somewhere big with an airport….hop on a late night flight." I persuaded.

"To where?" He finally asked and I squealed.

"Houston, Texas. From there to Phoenix." I said instantly. Dr. M nodded her approval and Max did too.

"Why there?" Christian asked absently and I knew he was writing all this down, making lists of things to bring.

"I'm in Arizona. I can meet you guys there." I said.

A beat, and then, "Mackenzie, do you honestly think this can work? Even if we get to Arizona, then what?"

"You were accepted to Arizona State, right? You can go to college here, rent an apartment for you and the kids to stay in, get a job or two. We can do this." I said in the steadiest, most reassuring tone I could manage.

"Okay. Yeah. I'll call you back in a couple hours. I've got a train ride and a flight to book." Christian said and the line went dead.

"I'll be back in awhile," Fang snarled and punched the front door out of his way so hard I saw the skin on is knuckles break.

Max, wide eyed, ran out after him.

Oops. He hadn't known Dad was abusive.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused, Dr. Martinez," I apologized earnestly.

"Oh, honey, no blood no foul." She smiled warmly and I grinned at her.

**Okay, scrappily written chapter. But that's okay, because I free handed that one. The next ones aren't nearly as morbid and serious. There's smut between our four love birds coming up. Yay!**


	56. Stuck to Her Like Mortar

**Bleh. That last one was horrifying in my opinion. But I like this one, because it's smutty. So whoo!**

**Iggy's POV**

"But seriously, where's Jeb?" Mack asked, trudging alongside me up the steps.

I missed having a room., like the one back at the E house. Maybe when Gasman sold a nuclear bomb to some tiny little country, and made millions, he'd give a little bit to me and I could build a mansion. Then I'd have ten thousand rooms.

"He left right after you woke up earlier. Said something about work. He's probably gonna go make some kid run through glass to see if he can avoid stepping on it," I shrugged bitterly.

Mack had been hiding things from me. And back in the church, she'd promised to tell me everything.

I heard a door open and had to focus on not running into things for a moment, then plopped down on the bed.

"How come you didn't tell me about Riley?" I blurted, and heard her freeze as she shut the door.

Way to put her on the spot there, Igs.

"Because I didn't want you to feel the way I did back when you mentioned beach bunnies," she mumbled in the most adorable voice I'd ever heard.

I chuckled a bit. "Come here."

She climbed instantly onto my lap and I wrapped my wings and arms around her.

"Are you mad? That I didn't tell you?" She whispered.

"I'd get over it faster if you gave me a lap dance," I joked. Surprisingly, she didn't flip out-she laughed instead.

"You know I would never do that, right?" I asked slowly. She stiffened and didn't say anything. I began to panic. Did this mean she didn't trust me?

"I know." She muttered.

I felt my eyes go wide. "You think I might."

She took a deep breath and my mind was momentarily distracted by the way her chest pressed against mine when she did that.

"Remember when I said I had trust issues? Well, trusting people _not_ to hit me has become somewhat impossible in the last year. However, when it comes to that, I trust you the most." She said.

I grimaced, then managed a small smile and abruptly changed the subject. "You wanna get out of those jeans? Now that I think about it, you've been in them awhile."

"My bag is downstairs," she mumbled.

I grinned at the spot where I imagined her face to be. "Got any objections to just sleeping in your underwear and a shirt of mine, then?"

She giggled. "Nope, no objections. Fang and Max might have a few though. And Dr. M."

I smiled. I'd gladly take any lecture I got from the flock leader and her mother. Fang _probably_ wouldn't kill me…

"_I_ certainly wouldn't mind," I murmured against her neck.

She giggled again. "Okay then. But if we get in trouble, I'm blaming you."

I just chuckled darkly, sliding her gently off me. I took a few careful steps through my everlasting darkness to find my bag.

_Hopefully Max hasn't been digging through here to find dirty clothes to wash_, I thought as my fingers brushed metal and wires.

Then they found soft cloth- a baggy sleeveless white shirt I tossed to Mack. I heard her catch it and smiled a bit to myself.

I pulled my own shirt over my head-stupid Arizona heat- and listened very carefully as Mack's clothes hit the floor.

Then I heard the rustle of my shirt being pulled over her head. "Dressed?" I asked.

"Sure, if this qualifies as actually being dressed," she said nonchalantly.

I said nothing, just grabbed at her wrist and pulled her against me.

And when she kissed me, I didn't feel like some blind, mutant teenager. I felt like the luckiest person alive.

And, technically, dead. Past lives huh?

**Should I include the next part in here? I think I will. **

**Mack's POV**

I let my body relax, let it melt into Iggy's. He loved me for me. He didn't care about the bad stuff.

He _did_ love me, right? Or was that assuming too much? We'd only known each other a couple of weeks.

Okay, technically, we'd known each other since the beginning of time, but whatever.

I pulled my mouth away from his and peered at him through the dark. He stared blankly in my direction, confused as to why I'd pulled away.

It was dark in here now; I wondered vaguely for a moment where Max and Fang had gone, then shrugged the thought away.

I could wait for Iggy's love. We were both young. We had awhile.

"Nothing," I whispered, and stepped forward to press my lips to his pale collar bone. Instantly he wrapped his fingers in my hair, pulling my lips back to his.

Something inside me shook nervously, causing my whole body to tremble.

But his lips were gentle against mine, reassuring. It was Iggy who held me now, not Riley.

Very slowly, he moved one arm to grip my waist, the other closing around my arm.

To keep my balance, I threw my arms around his neck.

Keeping his lips pressed against mine, he shuffled backwards until his legs hit the bed. I gasped a bit when his lips left mine for air. When they rejoined, they were a little less gentle, a little more lustful.

Very abruptly, his hands slid all the way down to my thighs. Iggy had picked me up and crushed me against him, forcing my legs to go around his waist so I wouldn't fall. I pulled my head back, but Iggy wasn't about to stop. Instead he skimmed down my neck, pressed his lips against my shoulder, nipped at my throat.

"No hickies." I said sternly.

"If I did, I'm not sorry," Iggy growled.

I kissed him back with much more hunger now, and very slowly, almost as though to torture me, his tongue slipped into my mouth.

"Do you trust me?" He demanded suddenly, pulling away roughly and I made a little noise of protest.

"What do you mean?" I gasped.

"Do you trust me to know how far to take this?" Iggy gasped.

I gaped at him with wide eyes, but whispered, "yes."

His mouth attacked mine again, and he lost no time in picking up where he'd left off to ask his question.

I stifled a shriek when he turned and tossed me on the bed somewhat roughly, but made no move to push him away when he crawled over top of me and began kissing me again.

He grinned against my lips and that broke the intense atmosphere.

I giggled against his and he laughed, never breaking our kiss. "You're good at this," I breathed and he laughed some more.

I let my hands roam over his back softly, giving him goose bumps, then let them trail to the soft feathers at the edges of his wings.

He groaned and it was my turn to laugh. "Frustrated?"

"Mhm," he moaned pitifully against my neck.

"Maybe I should go sleep with the girls," I teased as he began pulling my-his-shirt up to kiss my flat stomach.

"No!" He yelped, pulling it instantly back down. "I'll be good."

"Right." I said doubtfully, but snuggled into his stomach anyway as he collapsed onto his side beside me.

He rubbed the spot between my wings.

I closed my eyes and sighed happily as I fell asleep.

**Sorry. Had to get that outa my system, hehe. This next POV is another past life, and it's going to hint at why Max freaked/freaks about Fang now. In the next chapter I'm going to go back to when Fang flipped and stormed out of Dr. M's and Max followed him, in her POV. **

**Sadie's POV**

The show was over for the night. It had been a long one, and my hands shook as I turned the doorknob to the dressing room.

"What is wrong with you, Maxine?" I asked, miffed. My best friend hadn't spoken to me all night.

"Nothing." She said curtly, stripping out of her garters.

"Tell me, please," I begged.

"Tis nothing, truly. One of my regulars chose to take Francesca out tonight." She shrugged and I winced in sympathy.

The hardest part of being a saloon girl; getting too attached to the regulars.

"My brother John?" I questioned quietly as she stripped out of her garters.

She nodded.

"Did he _say_ he was taking her out?" I asked, slipping my corset off.

"No. But he _was_ stuck to her like mortar out in the hallway." She sniffed.

"Maybe _she_ kissed _him_." I suggested. Francesca was flighty even for a prostitute.

"He's just a customer, Sadie." She snapped. Then her face softened.

"I apologize. Maybe I'll see you tomorrow and be in a better temper." She murmured, hugging me fondly. Her blonde, long hair cascaded down her back and I could smell the soap she used as she did so.

Then she left.

I stepped over to the looking glass she had vacated, taking my time redressing into normal, respectable clothing.

I unpinned my curly, coal black hair, and met my own reflected, emerald green eyes. Sometimes I had to remind myself I was human. I'd begun to feel a bit like a book that had been borrowed several times.

When finished, I slipped out the back door. The night was humid.

My high heeled boots clattered noisily as I walked home. Cindy was probably up still, waiting to chatter on and on and on about her day. The girl never hushed.

"Hello there," a voice greeted and I jumped, then picked up my pace.

A young, handsome man fell into place beside me. His grin was dashing, and his light hair was somewhat curly. His clothes were very fine…what could he possibly want with me?!

"Hello." I said curtly.

"You put on quite the show." He murmured politely, pressing his lips to my ear and slowing my brisk pace with a hand on my arm.

"Is there a particular service you require, sir? If not, I simply must be getting home to my siblings." I spat, raising my bold eyes to meet his surprisingly light hearted and teasing ones.

"Ah, I see. You're the once respectable girl who's parents are now deceased. Your elder brother, if you even have one, turned to drinking, and now you must support the family." He said cheerfully. I stopped walking, staring at him.

"How did you know that? And who are you? I've never seen you in town before." I asked.

"I'm the wayward son of a wealthy merchant," he announced grandly, "and my given name is Darryl Thomas Manse, though I prefer Tom. I am new in this town. Now if you are quite finished interrogating me, I have a proposition for you, wench." Tom wiggled his eyebrows.

His odd manner threw me off guard. "A proposition?"

"Yes. Would you like to hear it It's a very good one." He asked eagerly, and took my arm, strolling along the wooden sidewalk with me as if it were a fine Sunday afternoon and I were a lady.

"Alright." I agreed.

"Stay with me for the duration of my stay; two weeks. At the end of the fortnight, I will offer you three thousand dollars. You may choose to take the money, or you may leave it." He offered.

My mouth dropped open. Three thousand dollars! Truly, this man was a fool to waste his fortune on the likes of me. But I would be a fool not to take his offer.

"I accept this proposition and gladly, Mr. Tom." I smiled charmingly at him, shaking his hand.

"Wonderful! I suppose you must let your kinsfolk know of your approaching absence and make arrangements, no? I shall send for you at nine tomorrow morn, then. Your address?" He cheered.

I scribbled it on a piece of an old check he happened to have tucked in the pocket of his trousers.

"Excellent. Good night, my dear." I grinned, and just as suddenly as he had joined me, he was gone.

_Sweet Mary, mother of Jesus, help me_, I prayed.

**So, there's that. I think it shows you why Max is so scared to get close to Fang now. I mean, he and she hooked up in this particular life, then left each other to act like nothing had happened, only to come back for more, and Max-er, Maxine- had to cut all feelings for him off because he was "just a customer." **

**Anyone wanna take a guess at who Nudge was????**

**This takes place sometime in the early 1800's, by the way. **

**Reviews???**


	57. How Hot His Hair Is

**I think I mentioned in the last chapter that I'm going back to where Fang flips out because of Mack's dad hurting Gabe and Max runs after him. This is it everyone! **

**Max's POV**

"Fang!" I called as he took three great bounds and launched himself violently into the sky. I gasped and took off after him, having to use my super-speed to catch up with him he was going so fast.

"Fang, come on. Just land and let's…talk about it or something." I begged, flying up close beside him.

He hit the brakes so freaking fast I shot past him ten to fifteen feet, and had to double back to face him.

"I don't talk." He said flatly, and his eyes were smoldering black pools of hate. I knew it wasn't directed at me, but it sent a shiver of pain sliding down my spine.

"Fang," I whispered, reaching out to stroke his cheek with shaking fingers.

He closed his eyes and sighed so heavily his whole torso trembled. Then he dropped like a feather to the ground several hundred feet below.

I knew everyone had a breaking point. Iggy's had come back when he'd threatened to let the cops catch him when we couldn't find his parents, Gasman's when we were in New York. Maybe this would be Fang's.

But I was surprised when I landed beside him that he was doing nothing but standing there. His body was tense and stiff.

I shuffled my feet awkwardly. We'd dreamed of our parents for years, and we'd thought of tons of worst-case scenarios, but this….this hadn't been one of them.

"Why do we get all the shitty outcomes?" He asked finally, and sighed again.

I blinked.

"Why is it the whole world gets to have little pieces of happiness, and we don't?" He asked, but he said it like a statement.

It took me awhile to answer him. "Maybe we're each others happiness."

Fang snorted. "Have you been taking fortune cookie lessons from the Voice?"

I knew he didn't mean that, knew that he was taking out all his anger and disappointment on someone he thought could handle it.

I just kept standing there, staring at his back and his wings.

He took another deep, shuddering breath, and I was hit by a random memory, from before even the time we'd escaped the School, back when were still in it.

"_Put Fangy in my cage." I demanded, six years old and already master of the death glare. _

_The whitecoat hesitated. "Only if you behave later on, when it's your turn." _

_I pouted. I hated behaving. "Fine." _

_They put Fang's limp little body in next to mine, and he sighed a little in his sleep when his side came into contact with the floor. _

"_Now it's your all's turn." The whitecoat loaded Iggy and Nudge onto a big cart and wheeled them off. _

"_Fang," I whispered, shaking him. _

_He blinked and sat up woozily after a moment. "Why am I in here?" _

"_Because they put you in here," I muttered, embarrassed to admit I'd been worried about him. "Did it hurt?" _

"_No." He growled in defiance. _

"_Where?" I asked knowingly. _

_He looked at me sheepishly. "My left wing got a little banged up."_

"_Let me see," I demanded. _

"_It's fine." He protested, twisting away from me and folding his wings in. _

_I stared at him sternly. "Let me see, Fangy, or I'll scream and make a big Eraser come and put you back in your own cage." _

_Fang sighed and rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Fine." _

_His left wing had a bug chunk ripped out of it. I gasped, and unable to help myself, trailed my tiny fingers across it. _

"_Ouch, Max, stop." Fang gasped. _

"_Sorry!" I yelped, jerking my hand back and accidentally jarring his hurt wing. _

_He gasped and his whole chest vibrated. _

_I sat still, afraid for a moment I'd hurt him again if I moved. _

"_Fang, you okay?" I asked. _

"_Fine." He sniffled. _

"_Fangy, I made you cry!" I gasped, horrified. Fang never cried, except when he was __**really**__ hurt. _

"_No you didn't, Max." He denied, sitting up straighter and not looking at me. _

"_Yes I did." I said quietly. _

_Fang hiccupped a bit. _

"_It's okay to cry, Fang. I won't tell Iggy." I whispered conspiratorially._

_He hesitated a moment, then asked, "You won't?" _

"_No, not if you don't want me to." I said, not knowing if this was how I should be trying to cheer Fang up or not. _

"_Thanks." He said softly, and that's when I saw the tears rolling down his cheeks. _

"_Poor Fangy," I cooed, and he buried his face in my wings. _

I hadn't seen Fang cry once ever since then.

For the record, his wing _had_ been torn up pretty bad. He hadn't been able to fly for three weeks after that, and that was saying something for one of us.

I took a deep breath and crossed so that I was in front of him.

"It's okay to cry. Iggy did. But don't tell him I told you that." I whispered and his eyes widened a fraction.

Fang had also shown emotion back then. When had he become so strong, so closed off?

Fang closed his eyes a moment, then whirled quickly and punched a tree hard enough to crack concrete. Literally. I'd seen him do it.

His hand broke open and began to bleed. I was about to point that out when I noticed how his head was bowed and his back bent so that he was almost folded over double.

I took a few steps closer and say him biting his trembling lower lip so hard he was probably going to break it open too.

"Why do I care so fucking much? Huh? I've never met the guy, never even really given my dad a thought. So why is this screwing with me so goddamned much?!" He gasped.

He still wasn't crying.

"Because you're human." Was the brilliant answer I gave him.

And that was the straw that broke the bird-kid's back.

Fang dropped to his knees , his whole body shaking with the force of his sobs.

This was so out of character for him, my jaw actually dropped.

But I still somehow managed to drop to my own knees beside him and guide his head to my shoulder.

"Don't you dare tell Iggy. Or anyone else." He said, a threat in his wavering voice.

"Of course not," I whispered in what I hoped was a soothing tone.

"I mean," he gasped, sitting up and drying his face off with his arm; well, that sob-fest hadn't lasted long, "that's my brother, you know? It feels so weird saying that, but it is. It's like…if Dr. M had done that to Ella." His eyes pleaded with me, begging me to understand. That blank mask was back up, but his eyes were still desperate.

"It's okay, Fang. I get it. Don't worry about it." I breathed, pushing his long hair back from his face. If it wasn't so hot, I would've made him get it cut a long time ago.

Oh, God. Forget I just said that.

Fang had been _crying_ on my shoulder not two minutes ago, and here I was thinking about how hot his hair looked.

He nodded, taking a deep, steadying breath.

"You should probably get those cleaned up," I said, gesturing to his bleeding fingers.

"Yeah, probably," he nodded.

"Thanks." Fang said, glancing at me as we flew back towards the house.

"Poor Fangy," I cooed, remembering.

**That wasn't too OOC, was it?? I tried to get the reactions just right….. If it was, I'm sorry, but I felt this needed to be done. **

**Reviews are lovely with tea and jam…….**


	58. What's With You and Redheads?

**Oh wow. I totally thought everyone would flame the last chapter for Fang's little breakdown. But you guys didn't. you chose to love it instead, and I'm so freaking grateful, I decided to post another chapter. **

**So to those of you who posted those reviews, this one's for you. You know who you are. **

**Mack's POV**The buzz of my phone woke me. I blinked, focusing on the paleness in front of me that was Iggy's shoulder.

Another past life. And one that hadn't ended in a brutal death yet.

Nice.

"Hello?" I asked, pushing the green button.

"Mackenzie?" Christian's voice.

Instantly I was alert. "Where are you? Did you guys make it? How's Gabe's-"

He cut me off. "Relax. We're on the train to Knoxville. From there we have a four thirty am flight to Houston."

I smiled in the darkness. "Thank God. And happy birthday."

He laughed, sounding tired. "Thanks."

"When does your plane land in Texas?" I asked.

"Seven am. Poor kids. They'll be exhausted." He sighed.

"Do you have one booked for Phoenix?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Not yet." Christian said. "I figured I'd call you in the air on the plane to Houston."

"That sounds good. How are Gabe and Elina?" I asked.

"Elina's been an angel this whole trip. Never complains, does what I ask her. Gabe's the same, but his jaw is killing him, making the whole trip miserable on him. He doesn't complain, though." Christian informed me.

"Tell them I love them and that I'm proud of them. I'll talk to you when you're in the air." I said strongly, and pushed the red button.

**Of course I'm not leaving you with just that. Here you go: **

**Fang's POV**

"How is everyone this morning?" Dr. M asked, smiling cheerily at Ella and everyone else in the flock.

They responded with varying levels of enthusiasm.

"Personally, bacon would make my morning so much more enjoyable," Total said from his perch under the table, lying across Angel's feet.

"I remembered another past life! And it didn't end painfully!" Mack cheered.

"Stay away from these eggs. You can't cook," Iggy slapped at Max's hand warningly. She smiled at him.

"Tell us about the life, please," Ella requested.

Mack giggled devilishly and I frowned. This couldn't end well.

"I was a saloon girl," she giggled. Dr. M cleared her throat.

Gasman, half awake, made a face.

Ella, Nudge, and Angel grinned at each other.

Max frowned, muttering something about playboy bunnies from the 1800's, and Iggy flat out grinned.

"Oh, don't go getting all self righteous, Maximum Ride. You were my best friend in that life. Therefore, you were a saloon girl too." Mack teased.

I choked on my orange juice a bit as the image of Max in fishnets and a tight corset popped not entirely unwanted into my brain.

"What?! No way." Max protested. I smirked at her, and she blushed crimson.

"Yes way. And Nudge was my little sister named Cindy. And Fang was our brother, but he was a drunk. By the way, Fang, some chick Max and I worked with was _stuck to you like mortar_ out in the hallway. Max wasn't happy about that, even though you were just a regular customer of hers. Maybe you should make it up to her in this life." Mack winked at me.

Then she went on, "And I found Iggy rather randomly. He offered me a proposition." She snickered.

"Sister?!" Nudge squealed.

"Yep, sister." Mack nodded.

"What about me and Angel?" Gasman asked, frowning.

"You two aren't there yet." Mack frowned.

"Drunk?" I muttered under my breath, scowling.

"What chick?" Max asked, but I could _so_ tell she was jealous.

"And what proposition?" Iggy asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

I resisted the urge to deck him.

"Her name was Francesca, Max. Tall, long red hair, sleazy even for a prostitute," Mack shrugged.

"What is it with you and redheads?" Max grumbled in my direction.

I resisted the urge to sigh. She had to get over that Lissa thing.

"What about the proposition?" Iggy asked eagerly.

"Oh, right. Your name was Tom, and you were the _wayward son of a wealthy merchant_ that was into town for two weeks on business. You told me that if I'd stay with you for those two weeks, at the end you'd give me three thousand dollars. I could choose to take it or leave it." Mack giggled yet again.

I growled quietly to myself and speared my biscuit with my fork. Couldn't everyone just leave my family the hell alone in at least one life?

"Chill, Goth Boy. It happened over two hundred years ago." Mack smiled.

I mumbled something unintelligible.

"Well, kiddos, I'm off to work." Dr. M announced.

About that time Mack's phone rang.

She spoke only for a few moments. "They just landed in Houston. They'll get to Phoenix around ten tonight. The flight got delayed."

I could see the stress this caused her and felt my own stomach tighten uncomfortably. This reminded me of my emotional _freakin _breakdown in the middle of the godforsaken _forest_ last night in front of my damn _soul mate _of all people.

Maybe I should start a journal or something, get all these emotions out so this doesn't happen again in the next, oh, eight years or so.

I shoved the thought away. If Iggy ever found out I had a diary, that'd be the end of it all. We'd probably end up killing each other in a pool full of pudding or something.

Okay…no clue where that came from.

Note to self: no more freaking out in the middle of the woods for no apparent reason like some chick that's PMSing, because you lose mega sleep because of it, which results in frigged up thoughts the next morning.

"Alright. Everyone who's a bird kid, come get your large amounts of artery clogging food," Iggy announced.

"I want to get to the bacon first." Total said, full of self importance.

I sighed; I would be the last in line.

**Yes, this was a filler chapter, but in the next one, a bunch of those new Erasers show up……..and, well, what do you think happens??? **


	59. My Head Made Friends With a Brick Wall

**Okay. Normally I don't do this type of thing, but I'm going to make a rather stern announcement: **

**It has come to my attention that some people *cough Underlander cough, among others that I still love deeply* are concerned about the ratings of this story. They're saying I'm really pushing the T rating. **

**So I'm here to announce to one and all: This story will remain a T. There will be no lemons, nor anything more intense than the make-out scenes you've already read. (I **_**will**_** warn you, however, there might be a tiny hint of third base. But just a tiny bit.) So if you have questions or concerns about it, please PM me instead of leaving it in a review for all to see. **

**And now that I'm through being a bee-yahtch to all you awesome people who read my story, we can get on with the super cool chapter. **

**Mack's POV**

"Do you think they made it?" I asked, bouncing up and down in place a little in my anxiety.

"Yes, it's just busy. Be patient." Ella encouraged.

I kept bouncing until I felt Fang's hand on my shoulder. "Chill." He demanded.

I took a deep breath and tried to.

"Mackenzie!" I heard my name being called and desperately scanned the crowd, searching for my siblings.

I glanced to my left and there was Christian, fighting the stampeding crowd. He held an exhausted looking Elina against his hip and a dead-on-his-feet Gabe trudged along behind him.

"Oh my God guys. I can't believe you made it! There's so much I need to tell-" I cut off abruptly.

Several tall, muscled, buzz-cut men were making their slow way toward us.

Instantly I stopped reaching for Christian and instead shoved him toward Dr. M. "Go, get out of here. Flock, we have company." I breathed.

Wide eyed, Dr. M and Ella sprinted through the crowd, away from us. They drug my very confused siblings along after them.

"Angel, tell them to take the car, we'll fly home." Max instructed. Instantly, Angel's face went blank.

"Split up. Angel, Gasman, go with Iggy. Nudge, you go with Mack." Max breathed.

Nudge slipped her hand in mine and squeezed tightly. I smiled reassuringly down at her.

"Meet up at Mesa Town Hall in twenty." Fang said in a low tone.

I nodded.

"On three." Max said. The dog-men were close enough to hear now. **A/N: anyone got a name for these things, BTW???**

I knew from my brief bird kid education that _on three_ actually meant _on one_.

"One!" Max shouted and we all shot off like bullets. Nudge and I whirled, bolting past people and luggage.

Nudge almost tripped over the wheel of a trolley but I yanked her upright. We had no time for petty accidents.

We weaved in, out, around, through, under. Anything to confuse our pursuers.

I shoved a blonde teenager out of my way, ignoring her rude expletives. Then I pounded open a door marked _Employees Only_, revealing a long corridor with dimmed lights.

I locked the door behind me, though I knew that wouldn't do anything to deter these freaks.

"Hey!" A worker protested as we sprinted past him, and I prayed randomly he wouldn't think we were terrorists or something.

Then I spotted what Nudge and I desperately needed; an exit.

Nudge and I trotted to it, breathing hard. We burst through it….and my heart sank along with my stomach.

Three huge dogs were waiting on us.

Nudge-and now, me too- were both stronger than your average sumo wrestler. But we weren't stronger than those things.

"How nice of you to join us," one purred.

I didn't have the time to think the irony of that one through, though.

They began circling us slowly, like vultures.

Nudge and I shared one terrified look.

Then they were on us, and I was fighting for my life.

**Nudge's POV**

I'd fought normal Erasers my whole life. I'd fought Flyboys and M-Geeks and men made of boxed glass.

I'd even fought other hybrids.

Never before had I fought something so strong.

I used every move I knew, even the dirty ones Max had told us to stop using a long time ago, and still barely managed to take mine down.

I even looked over at Mack and began copying her street fighter moves, which were so, _so_ cool.

She was doing okay, and after awhile, we finished those two up. But while we were doing that, the other one had snuck up behind Mack.

"Look out!" I screamed and it lunged.

It went for the back of Mack's neck-I remembered watching something on Discovery channel about predators going for the throat. It sank her teeth into her skin. She screamed and it was the most awful thing I'd ever heard. Mack fell flat and it dug it's claws into her back and wings.

_Do something, Nudge!_ I thought to myself, and launched myself onto it's back, kicking and punching at the ribs and spine.

A few bones broke.

It snarled, turning it's beastly head to look at me. Mack's blood dripped from its fangs. It was the most horrifying image to ever burn itself into my brain.

It shook me off violently, and I hit the brick wall of the airport ten feet behind me, cracking my head. Hard.

Dazed, I lay there, drifting in and out of consciousness for awhile.

"Move out! We take all of them or none of them." The one that had hurt Mack called out, and the injured wolf dudes whimpered as they ran off.

I woke up, hurting and alert. "Mack!" I shrieked, running over to her.

I'm alright," she gasped, sitting up.

"But he was all over you!" I protested.

"He just threatened me. He only bit me once, and it wasn't very deep, just enough to hurt. didn't you hear him? They want all of us." She panted, her face screwed up in pain.

I nodded, ignoring the black spots dancing in front of my own vision and helped her stand up. She swooned, and my arms instantly went out to catch her. She steadied herself though, and we did a wobbly up and away.

**Mack's POV**

My neck was killing me.

The dog-man's teeth had sunk in in the back, closing around the top of my spine loosely, not enough to even really touch it, but enough that I was terrified he would rip it right out.

I could feel the damp blood on my shirt, and the smaller cuts on my back and wings stung in the raw night air.

I felt like I would pass out, and drop right out of the sky, any minute now.

But I had to hold it together for Nudge. She had a damn good knot on her head, after all, and did you hear _her_ belly-aching? No.

My fears for the flock rose in me and I batted them back down. I would feel it, wouldn't I, if something had happened? The psychic part of me would go into red alert, wouldn't it?

My fears for Iggy, Angel, and Gasman disappeared when we reached Town Hall. Iggy was pacing back and forth. Angel and Gassy stared worriedly at the sky. They were all perched on the flat, concrete roof.

The moment they heard our wings, the little kids began cheering. Iggy looked profoundly less worried.

That is, until we landed. Then I collapsed.

"Mack!" Iggy yelped, falling to his knees beside me. '

"One of 'em got her, Igs! It was awful! There was so much blood, and I was trying to stop them. But then he threw me against a wall." Nudge cried, hugging Angel close.

"What _exactly_ happened, Nudge?" Iggy asked. I could barely hear him through the ringing in my ears.

Nudge took a deep, calming breath. "Three cornered us outside the airport. We took them down, but not before one snuck up behind Mack and bit her on the neck."

"Thank you." Iggy muttered, giving her the cue to stop talking. She did.

"Let me see," he murmured gently to me.

Angel and Gasman, after attacking Nudge with even more hugs, came to investigate.

"Ew, gross!" Gasman crowed, inspecting my wound.

"Does it hurt?" Angel asked, and I immediately turned my thoughts to the lyrics of The Sing That Never Ends.

Iggy's fingers were still probing my neck when I heard two pairs of beating wings. I relaxed; Fang and Max were okay.

"What happened?!" Max shrieked, hitting the roof running as she landed. She dropped to her knees and studied my wound.

"Lassie got a little too excited, pulling me out of the well," I grumbled.

"Can you fly home? It looks pretty bad…" Max trailed off anxiously.

Defiance rose in me. "I'll be fine."

"Then we should probably be going," she sighed. Fang nodded his head in agreement.

I struggled to my feet, gripping Iggy's shoulder for balance. "Is everyone else alright?"

"My head made friends with a brick wall, but other than that, I'm cool." Nudge nodded. Max made a little noise and rushed over to pick her way through her frizzy hair.

"We managed to lose them in the parking lot," Iggy reported and I cuddled into his side as best I could.

"We got in a tiny scuffle. No more than a few bruises." Max shrugged, still inspecting Nudge's head.

"Then let's go see my fugitive siblings," I grinned.

"And mine," Fang added.

Oh, right. What would everyone think of our new brother?

**So, there's that. Not as good as some, but better than others. I figured we needed a little action scene in there…. **


	60. I Would Say Welcome to the Family

**Oh. **

**My. **

**God. **

**Guess what happens about two weeks from today? Not next Monday, but the next. **

_**Fang COMES OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE NEXT Maximum Ride BOOK CAN THEN BE PURCHASED AND READ AND THEN MADE INTO FANFICTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**_

**It's going to be one of the best days ever. I'll have it finished in two to three hours. **

**And so help me God, if Fang leaves because of the douche Dylan, I am going to stake Jamey Boy in the heart. (Yes, that was a shameless Vampire Diaries reference.) **

**If Fang walks, I walk. **

**Period. **

**Well, okay, no I don't, but I will only drag myself through the other upcoming books to see if he comes back. **

**So, now that I've made that little announcement/rant, let's get on with the chapter: **

**Mack's POV**

"Honey, we're home!" Max called, banging loudly on the front door.

For the thousandth time, Fang scanned the entire area, making sure we hadn't been followed.

Instantly, the door flew open, revealing a terrified looking Ella. "Come in," she ushered us.

"Is everyone alright?" Dr. M asked as soon as we all reached the kitchen.

Christian sat at the table, looking awkward. When he saw me, though, his expression became horrified.

"Everyone's fine, except for Mack. One of the wolves with 'roid rage bit into her." Max shrugged, but her eyes held worry and lingered on me.

"That's what we should call them! Roids!" Gasman enthused.

"Sounds good to me." Iggy nodded and began digging through the fridge.

"Wait, I'm confused." Christian buried his face in his hands, wiping at his eyes. He must've been exhausted.

"A lot has happened lately. I'll fill you in after I get cleaned up." I promised.

"Where's Elina? I promised her we'd play ponies next time we were together?" Angel asked.

"She and Gabe are in Ella's room sleeping. Poor kiddos are worn out. You can play tomorrow." Dr. M said with a stern look.

"You guys should be in bed too." Max added, picking Nudge up like she was four instead of eleven. Grumbling to themselves, the kids followed her up the steps.

"It's not so bad once you get all the blood off," Dr. M muttered. I jumped, then hissed when the cloth hit a sore spot. I hadn't even noticed her beginning to sponge at my neck.

"Ella, can you go get some gauze bandages ad some alcohol?" Dr. M asked. Ella nodded, glancing at Christian shyly as she went to retrieve the medical stuff.

"It's Fang, right?" Christian asked suddenly.

"We affectionately call him F-Nick." Iggy threw in. I frowned, wondering what that was all about.

Fang rolled his eyes.

"I never really thought about it before, but you remind me a lot of Mackenzie." Christian went on.

"Oh." Fang said, emotionless.

"There's a reason for that, Christian," Max said warily, coming back down the steps.

"Really? What?" Christian's brow furrowed.

I felt my neck sting suddenly; Ella had come back with that alcohol.

I hissed out a curse. Thankfully, it was either too low for Dr. M to hear, or she ignored me.

"Maybe we should all sit down, catch up. Get properly acquainted." She suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea." Max nodded.

So after changing into a clean shirt, I was wedged between Fang and Iggy on the couch. Max was beside Fang, Ella leaning against her legs on the floor. Dr. M and Christian sat in chairs on the other side of us.

"Well? Shoot, someone." Christian said.

I grimaced.

"Um. See, I sort of came up with this…_theory_ that Fang and I were….full siblings. And it was true." I blurted.

Ella slapped her hand to her forehead. I can't say I blamed her.

Christian looked like he was going to choke on something, glancing back and forth between me and Fang like he was watching a tennis match.

"Well," he finally said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, "I would say welcome to the family, Fang, but it's not a very happy one."

Fang's mouth twitched and I thought I heard Max let out a small sigh of relief.

"And then there are the Roids…." I muttered.

Christian's eyes darkened. "Oh, yeah. Tell me all about those, please."

Iggy took over then, explaining all about them being after us and my visions and past lives. He went on to describe how they'd found us so fast.

Then he said, "Um, you should probably know….if they find out about me and Mack being….soul mates…..they would probably, er, put us in a…breeding program thing."

Christian's eyes narrowed. "Breeding program thing?"

"Don't get all ticked. These people are sick and twisted." I rushed before he could get angry.

Christian inhaled slowly, then exhaled even slower. "I always knew you were special, Mackenzie. But I never knew you were this special."

"_What_ is all the hullabaloo? Don't you know a dog needs at least forty winks a night to look his best in the morning?" Total demanded, trotting into the room and looking miffed.

"Sorry Total. It's been a pretty crazy night." Ella said.

"Holy (insert swear word of your choice here)!" Christian yelped, and jumped so violently, he slid right off his chair.

I threw back my head and laughed as Total introduced himself.

**I know it's shorter than what you're used to, but bear with me. I've been putting up with a lot of crapola lately, and just couldn't find time to write. But I promise I'm going to update a lot more this week. **

**Reviews??? Ideas???**


	61. Don't Mention Fang

**Whoa. You people cease to amaze me with the love you shower on my story. Three people in particular I owe my sanity to: CrazyNerdyFangirl, FangPlusMeEqualsNinja, and, as always, UNDERLANDERfromtheOVERLAND. They're always the very first three to respond, and for that, I love them. Their reviews crack me up and seem to make all the stress of the day melt away. Haha, now enough of my corniness. **

**Mack's POV**

We all took the liberty of sleeping in the next morning, being utterly worn out. When we all finally rolled out of bed, it was ten.

"I'm taking the day off from the veterinary clinic. I figured your brother probably needs some help getting settled." Dr. M informed us all, cradling a steaming coffee cup in her hands.

How I was craving Starbucks…

Christian scowled, chugging his glass of orange juice. "Slow down, please, Dr. Martinez. I haven't even _told them_ I was suing them for custody yet."

Everyone was sitting around the table-except Iggy, who was at the stove making breakfast.

"Speak of the devil," Christian muttered, pulling his vibrating cell phone out of his pocket.

"They been calling?" I inquired.

"None stop," he grumbled, making a face.

"I hope one of Dad's planes crashes on the way out here. That way there won't have to be a trial." Gabe hissed with venom.

Dr. M looked at me, obviously not sure how to handle this one. Max didn't even blink; I guess she had experience with bitter children.

"Gabriel Joshua, you don't mean that." I said quietly, not looking at him. I'd secretly been wishing the same thing, back in the evil part of my mind.

"Yes he does, and I do too! Daddy hurt Gabe!" Elina cried.

I raised startled eyes to meet Christian's; he'd ignored our parental units and stuffed his phone back in his pocket. Had he allowed Elina to watch, when..?

"She wouldn't leave," he murmured.

"Janie's got a gun," Iggy sang under his breath from the stove. I shot him a nasty look, which of course was completely pointless.

"Elly, what Daddy did was wrong, but wishing him dead….that's wrong too." I said softly, looking into her wide blue eyes.

"Okay. Sorry." She said, but I could tell she wasn't.

I really couldn't blame her.

Fang's fingers were closed so tightly around a fork, I could see it bending little by little.

"Dude, that bandage on your face makes you look totally tough," Gasman complimented Gabe after a moment, breaking the tension.

"You think?" Gabe asked happily.

"Totally." Gasman nodded.

"I heard my name. is the food ready?" Total trotted into the kitchen, Akila at his side.

Christian, who still had Total-issues, leaned away from him inconspicuously.

"Yep. Everyone with wings, your extremely large portions of food are ready. Everyone else…..well, come get it." Iggy nodded, and quickly sidestepped the following stampede. He'd already filled his own plate; cheater.

For awhile, we all just sat, chomping on breakfast. Iggy was the best cook _ever_….

And then Christian's phone rang. Again.

He glanced at Dr. M, sighing. "Should I answer it?"

She blinked. "I'm a vet, honey, not a lawyer."

He looked to me next. I shrugged. "Eh, why the hell not? But kids, I want all of you upstairs. This will probably be more inappropriate than Nick and Norah."

"Fine. I don't wanna hear that butt-face's voice ever again anyway." Gabe snarled.

Elina stared at her brother a moment, then snarled in the exact tone he had used, "Yeah, me either!" And they stomped outside.

"Er…we'll go start up a game of something with them." Nudge said awkwardly under Max's meaningful gaze, and drug Angel and Gasman out.

"Would you guys like us to leave, too?" Dr. M asked us, looking and me, Christian, and Fang.

Fang actually blinked a few times at being included.

"Ella can leave if she wants….but it'd be nice to have a witness." I said, trying not to make my hint too obvious.

Ella made a squeaky apology, and scurried in the direction of the other kids.

"I suppose we should leave, as well. Farewell, fair ladies and gentleman!" Total cried dramatically, and held his tail high as he and Akila ran up the steps.

"You guys want me to go?" Iggy asked.

"No!" I said too quickly.

My heart began beating so fast I thought I would pass out.

And this was just a phone call.

I didn't notice that we'd moved into the living room. Christian sat in the chair he had last night, Max, and Fang on the couch, Dr. M leaning against the doorway. I sat on the floor by Christian's feet.

I was about to enter a full-on panic attack.

And suddenly, Iggy was sitting behind me, his legs spread out on either side of me. He took my shaking hand in his steady one, rubbed the spot between my wings soothingly.

I grinned at him, relaxing against him. Oh, yeah. I had Iggy now. And a badass big bro.

That I probably shouldn't mention.

"Don't talk about Fang. He could become another custody battle." I said.

Fan growled out something incoherent.

Max squeezed his hand.

"Okay Christian. Answer it." I said. By now, one call had ended unanswered, and they were calling back.

Christian hit the green button twice, putting it on speaker.

"Where the hell are you?" Dad's voice filled the room, rough and demanding, but most of all, angry.

That instinct triggered every negative instinct inside me: to run, to hide, to fight, to protect not only myself but my loved ones, and my mind and emotions….

I stopped myself before I could hyperventilate. Instead I used a natural weapon of mine-sarcasm.

"Hey, daddio. What's hangin'?" I asked cheerfully.

A beat, and then, "Mackenzie?"

"In the flesh, yo. Not that you can see me." I shrugged, very blasé in tone, but trembling against my soul mate.

"You better be _glad_ I can't see you. Do you know what kind of hell you've put the whole family through since you've been gone?" He asked.

"Isn't that a Kelly Clarkson song? Since You've Been Gone?" I managed a weak laugh.

He was silent awhile, probably controlling his anger.

"Where's your brothers and sister?" He finally asked.

"So I'm still part of the family? You haven't disowned me yet? Hot damn, I feel honored." Sometimes my father made it too easy.

Iggy chuckled in my ear.

"Did they finally answer?" I door slammed, and I heard Christina's voice.

"Yeah." I could practically picture the expression on my stepmother's face, and my father nodding.

"Hey Christina! How much did you get for my dresser?" I called.

"You little bitch! You run off in the middle of the night, probably with some druggie boyfriend, utterly ungrateful for all we've done for you! Then you go and drag _my_ innocent children into it." She snarled.

"Should we tell them I've been clean for five months now? Rehab works wonders." Iggy breathed. Dr. M had tears in her eyes. Max and Fang wore the same intense look.

I winked at her, then turned to Christian. "You know what I live about your mother? She's so _kind_. A good person, right to the _core_."

He grinned at me, but I could see the pain there.

"Christian, where are you? Are you on there? We can track this phone online you know." Christina threatened.

I rolled my eyes. "Please, honey. Half the time, _I_ worked your eBay account. You expect me to believe you know how to track a cell phone?"

"You shut up." She snapped.

"Well. Okay then." I grumbled.

"Go ahead and track it, Mom. I dare you. For one, it's encrypted. And for two, I was just going to _tell_ you where we are, but if you wanna play Nancy Drew…" Christian was rolling his eyes too.

"Don't you _dare_ hang up." Dad growled.

"I'm in Arizona." Christian blurted, then bit his lip.

Nothing but shocked silence from the other end.

"Maybe we got lucky, and they both died from shock." I said hopefully, not caring if they heard.

Fang mumbled something about the pot calling the kettle black. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Mackenzie, all your anger and bitchiness is going to come back to bite you in the ass someday." Christina informed me.

"Right back at ya." I grinned.

"We're going to come get you. _All_ of you. And we're going home, and none of you are leaving this house for a very long time. Especially Mackenzie." Dad said menacingly.

Terror, unadulterated terror, roiled through me. I knew what that meant. I would have the worst bruises.

Then I thought of Gabe.

_Or the most broken bones_, I added mentally.

I whimpered and cringed away from the phone like it was a cow prod or something.

"Shhh." Iggy soothed.

"Not if I get custody. Besides, I'm eighteen. I don't have to go a damn place." Christian said, giving me a hard look.

I sighed.

"You're going to sue for custody of Mackenzie, Gabe, and Elina." Christina asked, but it sounded like a statement.

"Yes. And when I tell the story of how Gabe's jaw was really broke, I don't think any judge in the country would rule in your favor." Christian's voice was firm, but I could see his fingers shaking.

_Breathe, _I reminded myself.

I took a breath and held it.

"You better have the best lawyer in the country on your side, boy. Because I'll be in Phoenix Sunday, and we'll be in court Monday." Dad said, his voice quavering in anger.

"Good." Christian said.

"You're making a big mistake." Dad warned.

I felt myself losing control, And then finally snapped. "Is that what you told my mother when she refused to have me aborted?"

"I'll be having a _long_ talk with you, little girl." Dad **roared**. I flinched at his loud tone, but said nothing.

Christian hung up.

I'm pretty sure the entire room exhaled.

"I think that went well." Christian said after a moment.

"_That_ was going _well_?" Dr. M gasped in disbelief.

"Uh huh. At home, we're always screaming and yelling over each other, and people throw things, and it gets way outa hand. That was pretty….civilized." I nodded to myself, leaning my head back on Iggy's shoulder, utterly exhausted.

He kissed my forehead sweetly.

Dr. M was on the verge of tears at our pathetic plight. "I'll go check on the kids," she managed.

"Who's up for a rousing chorus of _It's the Hard-Knock Life_?" Total came trotting into the room, without Akila, for once.

I instantly began humming the tune under my breath.

"Total, I think you've pushed over the edge." Iggy said worriedly. I just giggled tiredly.

My insides trembled with fear, anger, frustration, and more fear. My hands shook. I was pretty sure if I stood up, my knees would buckle. I wanted to throw up.

Yeah, this was all pretty typical after dealing with Dad.

"I'd love to have a heartfelt reunion with that man," Fang muttered sarcastically.

"We could take a picture afterwards. Caption it as _Fang's First Injury Caused by Child Abuse_. Put it right next to _Fang Losing His First Tooth_." I nodded.

"She has gone over the edge." Total nodded, sitting back on his haunches.

Dr. M came back in. "Christian, Mack, we need to go look for a lawyer, a job, an apartment, and schools for Gabe and Elina."

I looked at Max, taking a deep breath, feeling calm and strength returning. "You guys stay here, hang out. Have a flock day."

"All members of the flock must be present for a flock day. Therefore, we'll have one tomorrow, when you're here." She said firmly.

I went over and hugged her tight, even though I knew she hated gooey emotions. Surprisingly, she hugged me back.

**So….yeah. Tons of the chapters after this have to do with the trial, but I promise, the lengthy, torturous-as-hell to write/and probably to read custody battle is a huge plot point, and a turning point for this story. **

**Now then…….reviews????**


	62. Kiwi, Whipped Cream, and a Locked Door

**Holy mother of God. **

**I just looked at the reviews for this story…..**

**There is exactly one hundred. I actually cried. I can't believe it, but you guys rock! So, under the threat of my dog being killed, and armed with the knowledge I make a lot of Starbucks references in this story (I'm obsessed with coffee. Sorry.), I am posting another chapter. **

**This is the same day as the phone call, just a time lapse. **

**Mack's POV**

"We're going to live here?" Gabe asked, stunned, as he gaped out the window at the wonder that was Phoenix.

"Possibly. Here or somewhere near here." Christian nodded.

"Listen, you two," I said sternly, turning to face them. They looked at me innocently.

"We're going somewhere very important today. I need you guys to sit very still and very quiet. Okay?" I requested.

They nodded, the picture of obedience.

Chya. Right.

"The lawyer's name is George Wendell. He helped one of my close friends go through a terrible divorce." Dr. M said to Christian and me.

"Did she win the divorce?" I asked. I knew, of course, that technically no one _won_ a divorce, but I was pretty sure Dr. M would know what I meant.

"Yes," Dr. M said, smiling teasingly, "_he_ did."

I instantly sank into the seat, sheepish.

The office we pulled up to a few minutes later was small, but not horribly so. It was brownstone, with a burgundy sign on the front door.

"Ready?" Dr. M asked.

Christian nodded stoically.

"Best behavior," I reminded the kids in a whisper as we went through the front door.

"Ah! Dr. Martinez! Wonderful to see you. What can I do for you?" A booming, male voice called.

I jumped, startled; Christian put a hand on mine and Elina's shoulders.

I was glad the Roid had bit the back of my neck, the mark hidden by my edgy hairstyle.

"Hello Mr. Wendell," Dr. M said, and gestured to us with her head.

The man's eyes widened. "Oh. Oh, I see. Stephanie, please put everything on hold until these fine young people are through."

I gasped, gazing at Christian in surprise. "How-"

"Shh. I pulled a few strings. Let's get in there." Dr. M hushed.

I gave her a quick, grateful smile, and we all filed through into Mr. Wendell's private office.

"Now, what can I do for you?" Mr. Wendell asked. He looked like the chubby white guy off the Daddy Day Care movie, except with lighter, disappearing hair, and older.

But he was a lawyer; one that we desperately needed.

"My name is Christian Nicardi, sir." Christian introduced himself politely. He and Mr. Wendell shook hands.

"Alright. Pleasure to meet you, Christian. I take it Valencia contacted me on your behalf?" Mr. Wendell looked more closely at us. His eyes grew wide at the sight of Gabe's face.

"Yes sir. I-well, my siblings and I-need you to represent us in court." Christian nodded, meeting my eyes. His vibes were nervous, and determined.

Mr. Wendell smiled kindly. "I figured. I _am_ a lawyer, you know. But what problems could you kids have that would need settling in court?"

"I turned eighteen yesterday, sir. The night before that, my father broke Gabe's jaw." Christian said bluntly.

Gabe made a face, but didn't stop Elina from grabbing his hand.

Mr. Wendell's eyes widened some more, and he glanced at Dr. M. "I see," he murmured.

"Now our parents are coming out here to take us back home. But I told them I wanted custody. So Dad said we'd be in court Monday." You gotta love Christian; short, sweet, and to the point.

"And you want me to help." Mr. Wendell finished.

"Yes sir." Christian nodded.

Mr. Wendell studied us, his gaze lingering on my fierce stare. This time, his statement was directed at me. "You think you can win."

"I know we _are_ going to win. We're going to be a family. Just us. Whether you help us do so is up to you." I said firmly.

"Three days to pull a case together…that's pretty short notice." Mr. Wendell sighed, not looking at any of us.

I kept up my poker face, but inside, my heart was sinking. _No one_ was ever going to take us…we'd have a court appointed attorney we'd meet the day of the trial…

"Guess we've got our work cut out for us, then, huh?" Mr. Wendell asked cheerfully. I gasped, and looked up at him sharply, which made my neck hurt.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Wendell!" Christian gasped.

"You have my undying gratitude." I managed.

"Valencia, perhaps you should take the kids out for lunch, or ice cream. And then maybe go to the park." Mr. Wendell suggested casually.

He was right; the kids shouldn't have to sit through all the nitty-gritty technical stuff.

When they were gone, he called for Stephanie the Secretary.

"Yes?" She asked, pushing her prim little glasses up her beak-like nose.

"Reschedule everything for Wednesday of next week." She spluttered a bit, but eventually did as she was told.

I smiled a bit, deciding I liked Mr. Wendell. Even if he was a Daddy-Day-Care-actor-look-alike.

"So. Let's start with the abuse, shall we? That's going to be our strongest argument." Mr. Wendell clasped his hands on top of his desk.

Christian and I looked at each other uncertainly.

Mr. Wendell looked at us expectantly a moment, then his face softened. "Look guys. I get it; this is tough. But this is gonna be a hard case to win. So you have to be adults now. Something tells me that you probably are already."

I nodded slowly, pulling my ipod out of my pocket. "Everything is on this." I said, handing it to him.

He raised his eyebrows in question as he took it gingerly.

"I kept a journal of sorts. Everything that's happened over the past year, every snipe or hit or neglect…. It's on there." I said softly.

"Wow. Impressive. Yeah, this'll definitely help." He nodded, blinking.

"I have a few notes Gabe's and Elina's teachers sent home over the years, inquiring about the bruises." Christian offered.

I stared at him. "Dad and Christina threw those out."

He shook his head. "I went down and dug them out of the garbage at night. Just in case."

"You guys must have been planning this awhile." Mr. Wendell observed, taking the thick stack of notes.

"Sort of. We never really sat down and planned it out. I guess we just always knew this day would come…" I breathed, more to myself than anyone.

"Why did you call the mother figure Christina?" Mr. Wendell asked suddenly.

I smiled wryly. "I'm the affair child. Christian's mother is my step mom."

"Ah. Your own mother is deceased, then? No other relatives?" He questioned.

"Grandparents in Italy. I've never met them." I shrugged.

"Okay. I see." He said quietly.

Then he got a blazing look in his eyes. "Tell me anything and everything. We're going to win this trial, guys. This one hits close to home."

**Fang's POV**

Today had been filled with bombs, courtesy of Iggy and Gasman, an angry Max, water balloons, Zac Efron, Truth or Dare, and debates on whether black bears should wear pink or blue tutus.

No, I'm not even kidding.

But how tired _I _was was nothing compared with how tired Mack _looked_ when she and our siblings got home.

"Mack! I missed you so much! We had a lot of fun today, except for that bomb Iggy and Gassy set off…" Nudge went on and on, as Mack, Max, and Dr. M freaked about the bomb.

Iggy smiled sheepishly from his perch on the couch.

"My days keep getting weirder." Christian moaned, sprawling spread-eagled on the floor of the living room.

"It'll be okay," Ella comforted him, patting his shoulder.

"So how'd it go with the lawyer dude?" Gasman asked absently. He was busy fighting a dragon on Gabe's PSP.

"He's nice enough. I liked him." Mack shrugged.

Not surprisingly, she went directly to Iggy, curling up catlike on his lap.

"What does everyone want for dinner? It's after five." Dr. M asked.

I glanced at Max. She was the decision maker, after all.

She just shrugged. "Whatever you wanna fix. Or if you're too tired, Iggy can cook."

Mack made a small sound of protest and buried her face in Iggy's shoulder, clutching him tighter. He smirked.

I rolled my eyes and hoped they both got muscle cramps soon.

_It's okay to feel protective, Fang_. Angel informed me.

I turned to glare at her. She and Ella were now laughing and playing Uno Attack.

She just turned and smiled innocently at me.

I thought for a moment about ripping her face off, then remembered I was _not_ allowed to kill fellow flock members.

Damn.

Of course, I didn't really _mean _that. But I liked my head to stay private.

"How about Chinese takeout?" Dr. M suggested, bringing me out of my reverie.

"That doesn't sound very appealing." Ella wrinkled her nose.

Ha! She should try desert rat. Without ketchup. Now _that_ is unappealing my friend.

_Gross, Fang!_ Angel mind shrieked.

"Pizza?" Nudge asked.

"Pizza gives me heartburn." Total sniffed in disdain.

"Hawaiian food rocks." Max said, smiling slyly at me. I smirked at her.

Too bad we weren't in Hawaii….kiwi and whipped cream sounded pretty awesome after a day like today.

Of course, there were other things I could do with whipped cream and some kiwi…involving Max and a locked door, that is.

"Ew, Fang, stop it!" Angel shrieked.

"What?" Max yelped, shooting daggers at me.

I just shrugged, suddenly very uncomfortable in my own head.

**Hehe. Fang's POV was sort of a filler, but I enjoyed writing it. **

**I apologize for not responding to all the reviews personally this time. There were so many! I'm going to try my best to keep up with it though. **

**So click that green button and type up something for me to respond to! **


	63. It Could've Been You

**Oooohhhh. Here's where things pick up. This is around dawn, the day after they meet Mr. Wendell. **

**Dun dun dunnnnnn…..**

**Mack's POV**

I lay in the dark room, studying the way the shadows covered everything. The house was quiet, but it probably wouldn't be much longer.

Somewhere over the continental United States, my dad was on a plane, on his way to try to rip me and the flock apart.

Was this what Jeb had meant by _circumstances_? Or were they usually more dire? Where had Jeb gone, anyway? All Iggy had said was work.

Ugh. I was going to give myself a migraine.

"Mackenzie?" The door creaked open softly to reveal Elina, clothed only in one of Christian's t-shirts that totally swamped her.

"Yeah?" I smiled.

She hesitated, glancing at the sleeping forms of Nudge and Angel.

"I need to talk to you. In private." She whispered.

Worried now, I climbed out of my nest of blankets. Where could we go where no one would hear us?

Ah. The roof.

I closed the door behind me, then took Elina by the shoulders and guided her down the steps, out the front door.

"Do you trust me?" I asked her, smiling.

To my utter dismay, she didn't answer right away. Instead, she studied me seriously several long moments.

Then she finally nodded.

I picked her up bridal style, making her grin, and spread my wings, stretching them as I rolled my shoulders.

The blowing breeze felt like heaven in my feathers.

Elina's eyes widened and she reached out to stroke one dark mahogany secondary.

"Ready?" I asked her.

She nodded more eagerly now, excited. I jumped into the sky, flapping strongly. She gasped and went still in my arms. We landed on the flat roof easily.

"Now. What is it?" I asked, sitting down and settling her onto my lap.

"Daddy's coming." She stated.

"Yes." I confirmed.

"But you and Christian won't let us go home." She said in that same, matter of fact tone.

"Not if we can help it," I clarified hesitantly, knowing I was treading on thin ice.

Then her lower lip began to tremble. "Why?" She moaned.

Pain sliced through my chest at her pain, and I hugged her tightly, not letting go. Of all my siblings, excepting Fang, she looked the most like me. Pale skin, dark short hair, skinny frame, tall for her age.

But her now watery eyes were blue.

"Listen, Elly. Listen good, okay?" I requested. She sniffled and nodded.

"Mommy and Daddy are not like other Mommy's and Daddy's. they're not doing their jobs very well. And what happens when you don't do a job well?" I asked. Elina was a very smart five year old. She could figure this out.

"You get fired." She whispered brokenly.

I nodded, relieved she was understanding. "Exactly. But in this case, it's gonna take a judge, a bunch of people called a jury, and Mr. Wendell to fire Mommy and Daddy."

Elina stiffened against me suddenly. "You're going to leave again, aren't you?"

I couldn't deny it. I would be leaving as soon as possible after the trial with the flock. We had a world to save.

But I knew that was something Elina couldn't understand.

"Yes, I am. But it's just like a business trip. A very secret, very important business trip." I told her.

Her expression cleared.

"You know," a menacing voice growled, "there is a way you could go with your sister. If you survived the operation she did."

I almost screamed. I knew that voice. It belonged to the Roid that had attacked and bit me outside the airport.

I had to get Elina safe.

Without even thinking, I rolled sideways off the roof, keeping Elina tucked in close to me. She yelled out, terrified as open space claimed us, but I spread my wings and we hit the ground running.

"Go, go, go!" I screeched, shoving her through the front door, then slamming and locking it after I'd gotten through.

Something behind it snarled and banged itself against it.

"Max!" I called desperately.

Within seconds I was surrounded by the flock.

"What's going on?" Fang asked calmly.

"The Roids found us." I panted. "Ugh, we don't have time for this! Christian has to find a job, _and_ an apartment, _and_ a school for the kids, _and_ get them enrolled in extra-curricular activities all before four thirty pm today!"

"And we're out of food, so somewhere in there, you need to stop at the grocery." Total said.

The Roid slammed against the door again.

"Come out, come out, little hybrids." It snarled.

"I've got a hybrid for you: half beat down, half whoop-ass!" I yelled back in frustration.

Iggy actually doubled over in laughter.

"I can't take all the credit for that. George Lopez said it first." I admitted.

"Okay, this is one of those times that I'm telling you it's okay to make and use a bomb." Max finally said, as another Roid crashed against a living room window, making it shudder in its frame.

Gasman's eyes widened. So did Iggy's.

"No way Max. The only one we've got completed is overkill, even for those guys." Iggy protested.

"It'd blow up the whole house, and then probably half the land it's sitting on." Gasman added.

Max swore.

Ella, coming down the steps, moaned.

Elina looked very confused and scared, and rushed into Christian's arms as he, Gabe, and Dr. M entered upon the scene.

"What if we led them far into the desert?" I asked desperately.

"That might work." Iggy said after a moment's hesitation.

"Mom, Christian, Ella, hold the fort down here. Everyone with wings, up the stairs, out a second story window, head west." Max ordered.

And that was how the whole flock jumped out of a house window in nothing but pajamas, with one member carrying a mess of metal and wires that was roughly the size of a soccer ball.

The Roids followed us as planned-there were seven of them. We flew way out over the sand, where it was sizzling even for early morning.

The Roids circled about fifty feet below us.

"Now, Iggy, Gasman!" Max yelled.

Gasman pushed a little yellow button on the size of the soccer-ball-bomb, and dropped it almost instantly.

The next few minutes was pure, disoriented chaos.

As soon as the bomb hit earth, it exploded. Suddenly, Iggy's body slammed into mine, knocking all air out of me. Smoke, wolfish screams, sand, scorching heat, tiny metal pieces of the bomb, they all surrounded me. I couldn't even flap my wings, or tell which way was up or down, so it came as a shock when I realized I'd been falling for several seconds.

The ground claimed Iggy and I with a brutal violence.

The sand stung every inch of my skin like billions of needles as I rolled down what must've been a dune. I wasn't able to breathe or think.

Now I knew what Iggy meant when he said "overkill."

That thing could've wiped out Vegas.

It took me awhile to realize we'd stopped moving. I lay there a minute, in a crumpled position, stunned. Everything hurt. Everything.

And then I was somehow on my hands and knees and crawling to where Iggy had landed a few feet away.

"Igs?" I managed around my choking and retching.

"Mack! Are you okay?" He coughed, sitting up.

"Fine," I managed.

He grabbed me, crushing me to him so hard, I thought he'd set off another bomb. But when nothing happened, I grabbed him with equal force, holding him tightly. I quickly pressed my lips to his.

"Damn, babe, remind me not to get on your bad side." I teased.

He laughed a little hysterically.

"Report!" I heard someone screaming, and looked up to see Max at the top of the sand dune, looking wildly around.

"We're okay." Iggy called.

She looked at us in relief, then called out again.

"Over here, Max!" I heard someone call, and looked over to see a rather dazed but unharmed Angel, thirty yards away.

Max's face got noticeably less tense. "Nudge?" She called.

"Ew! _Ewewewewew!_" Nudge's voice, from somewhere on the other side of the dune.

I grabbed Iggy's hand and got to my feet, hauling him with me.

He, Angel, Max and I stumbled over to Nudge, who sat by a rather irritated looking Fang. She was pointing at the decapitated body of a Roid.

"Oh, gross. One got decapitated." I mumbled to Iggy. He turned somewhat green.

"Where's Gasman?" Max gasped, looking around wildly again.

"Over here! I found the head." Gasman said, twenty feet away.

"Ew!" Nudge shrieked again upon seeing the head.

"Let's get out of here." Max said, and one by one, we took off.

I flew next to Iggy, our wings brushing on every down stroke. "What bugged you, back there?"

"Nothing." He muttered.

"Tell me." I pleaded.

"That bomb…..it was….that could've been you, or any other member of the flock, Mack." He finally said, taking a deep breath.

"But it wasn't. And that's what counts, Igs." I said quietly.

He grinned lightheartedly at me, his blue, cloudy eyes still troubled. "I know."

What a great way to start the day, huh?

**I figured we needed some action. Love it? Hate it? Let me know. **


	64. Get Caught in a Sandstorm?

**So…..I'm thinking about cutting this story off directly after the trial, when they all head off to Baja, and then **_**instantly beginning a sequel.**_** But then, everyone would have to go through the motions of adding me to an Author Alert, so you could know when I updated the first chapter of the new one. **

**So I need your all's input: make a 100+ chapter story, or break it off and create a sequel??? **

**Mack's POV**

"Whoa. Get caught in a sandstorm on your way home?" Ella asked, eyebrows raised, when we all walked through the front door.

"Not exactly," Max hedged.

"Mack, honey, go get a quick shower. We gotta look for an apartment and a school for the kids." Dr. M instructed.

I frowned as I shook sand from my hair. "Doesn't Christian also need a job?"

Ella grinned. "Nope. Mom offered him one at her office."

"Oh, whoa, Dr. Martinez! That's great!" I gasped.

She laughed. "Sure, sure. I've been looking for a paid intern for ages."

"I'll never get all this stuff outa my hair," Nudge was complaining as I went upstairs.

After I'd undressed, I looked at the back of my neck in the mirror and gasped.

It was almost completely healed; the scabs looked weeks old. Thank you bird genes!

The hot water stung my new scrapes and scratches, but felt good against the bruises and unmarred skin. Blow drying my hair for once felt like a little piece of heaven. Just for the heck of it, I threw on my usual dark makeup, a pair of jeans so holey they were practically a sin, and a light silky tank top of Ella's.

It was hot in Arizona, and I was tired of feeling like a bum.

"Who's party are you going to?" Max said as I came down the stairs, and the way she said it made it sound like an insult.

"No ones." I said casually, giving her a weird look.

"There's the Mack _I_ know." Christian grinned.

I grinned back at him.

"Dark makeup again?" Iggy guessed.

"Yep." I said, popping the P just for fun.

"You know, it makes you look more like Fang." Total threw in conversationally from under the coffee table.

Fang glared at him. "I don't wear makeup."

"Just making a casual observation," Total said innocently. Gasman snickered.

"Instead of job hunting, we're going shopping after the apartment and schools. You'll need something dressy for the trial." Dr. M informed us.

I bit back a moan. Yuck.

I loved clothes, when they magically appeared on my doorstep via FedEx.. Not when I actually had to go out and look for them.

But Nudge's eyes lit up. "Max, can we-"

"No." Max said firmly before she even finished. She bit into her newly made sandwich with a sort of finality.

"Max, don't look!" I shrieked, but it was too late. Both Nudge and Angel had employed the powers of the Bambi eyes.

"Ugh. Fine." She muttered.

Fang smirked at her. She stuck out her tongue.

And then, ten minutes later, we were all piled in Dr. M's van.

**Time lapse, but still Mack's POV!**

I gritted my teeth against the agony and wished for death.

This noise was too much to bear. The sun was bright and much too hot, practically blinding me.

There had been too many people, too many sleazy neighborhoods, too many creepy schools that gave off some of the most horrible vibes I'd ever felt. We'd left Dr. M's at 12:40 pm. And now it was 4:30.

Four hours. Four whole _freaking_ hours spent looking at apartments and schools. My back hurt. My head hurt. My legs and feet hurt.

And these kids could not shut their mouths for five seconds.

Each and every voice that assaulted my ears was adding to my migraine. All I wanted to do was crawl in bed and sleep forever.

But no. No, now we had yet another torture to suffer through: shopping.

"So where do you all want to go first?" Dr. M asked.

"The mall!" Angel chirruped.

I whimpered at the same time Max groaned. We both buried our faces in our hands.

"How about Hollister?" Ella suggested.

I perked up the tiniest bit possible at that. I loved Hollister, as far as shopping went.

"That okay?" Dr. M asked everyone.

I made a noise in the back of my throat that sounded something like, "Unghufnah."

Dr. M laughed a little to herself and pulled off the highway, entering Phoenix from a different angle.

Hollister, it turned out, wasn't too far away.

We found a parking space and filed out of the van. I thought for a moment that we must look like clowns piling out of the punch bug car at the circus.

"Nudge, try not to buy everything in the store." Max said instantly as we began to walk.

Nudge smiled sheepishly.

The dark, strobe light infested store swallowed us, and I grinned in spite of myself as I spotted the paint-splattered style jeans. The boys broke away from our group, heading toward their apparel. Nudge and Ella squealed and began handing their purchases to their personal mules, Angel and Elina, who were too young for this store.

Max stood awkwardly at my side.

I ignored her, thumbing inconspicuously through the jeans.

"Bingo!" I sang when I had found my size. Max rolled her eyes.

But it was time. Time to get some clothes that were me, but could also handle life on the run with the flock. I grabbed another pair of jeans that utterly rocked; they were _made_ to look dirty.

Max had spotted them too, and sheepishly began to dig through them. I smirked at her and she glared at me.

Tank tops, I decided, were a must have. I grabbed several in varying dark colors. Then I grabbed low cut, form fitting tee shirts that were light weight. I grabbed as many of those as possible too.

And then, even though I would never be able to wear them in public, I picked out three halter tops. They were navy, white, and black in color. They had practically no back, and were probably the most racy thing this store carried.

They'd be perfect for flying.

Dr. M, who was waiting by the cash registers on us, raised her eyebrows. "Can you afford all that?"

"Totally." I said lightly. I still had nine hundred off my street fighting money left. After paying, I had a little over eight hundred. Not bad.

It took awhile to round up everyone and get them out of there, but we accomplished that feat and left.

"Now that we've all spent small fortunes, " Dr. M teased when we were reloaded, "we need to find something for Mack, Christian, Gabe, and Elina to wear to court."

"There's Kids GAP for Gabe and Elina." Ella pointed out.

I made a face. I hated GAP.

"Good thinking Ella." Dr. M smiled.

This time, only she, Gabe, Elina, and I went in.

"Ooh, look at this sweater!" Elina squealed immediately.

"Focus, Elly. We're here for nice clothes." I demanded.

Gabe made a face, then winced and rubbed his cheek.

I bit back my fury, but only just managed to do so. I would rip my father limb from limb when this was all through.

Elina frowned in concentration, her little hand in mine, looking around the store.

Then she spotted a red cotton dress. It was short sleeved, with a black poodle on the front. It had a short skirt, too, but the mannequin had black leggings on under it. Red plastic sandals hung on the wall to match.

"Ooh, Mackenzie, look!" Elina squealed. "Is this okay to fire Daddy in? Oh, please say yes, Mackenzie, please!" She begged.

Dr. M and Gabe both raised their eyebrows at Elina's mention of my metaphor. I shot them a warning look, though, and they said nothing.

"Sure, sweetie. Have Dr. Martinez help you find your sizes. I'll go help Gabe. Okay?" I smiled at her fondly.

"Do your worst." Gabe muttered, his body as tense as if he was preparing for battle as we walked towards the boy section. I smirked and threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Perk up kid. Khakis aren't so bad. A button-down shirt to go along with them, and you're ready to go." I said, winking down at him so he'd know I was just teasing.

"Nuh uh. Christian said I needed dress shoes too." He protested grimly.

"That's easy. Just go ask the saleslady for a size 8 dress shoe. I'll pick out your clothes." I ruffled his hair.

"Kay," he mumbled, and slumped off.

The clothes weren't hard to find. I had them paid for by the time the saleslady came back with his shoes. Dr. M and Elina soon followed; all in all, the trip had been quick and virtually painless.

Everyone oozed and ahhed over the clothing when we got back in the car, making Gabe scowl and Elina giggle.

And then we were zooming off to our next destination; a fancy-schmancy store that surely held what Christian and I needed.

Oh, joy.

**So, this was rather interesting. A bit of a filler, but then, it was still necessary. I really, truly appreciate all the amazing reviews, and remember, I still need opinions on whether or not to break this off after the trial. **


	65. I Love You

**So, this contains a bit of smut…. And if anyone has any suggestions as to whether Ron (you'll see who I'm talking about in a minute) should be evil or just some random dude, let me know. **

**Mack's POV**

_Damn, _I thought as we entered the building, _when Dr. M says fancy-schmancy, she means it. _

Rows upon rows of dress clothes hung on thick silver racks; some even had garment bags over them. Shoes had their own separate section of the store, and from what I could tell, none of them were without a heel.

"May I help you?" A perky blonde popped out of no where suddenly and asked. Jesus, talk about a ninja.

"Actually," Dr. M said with a polite smile, "these two _are_ looking for something to wear to court on Monday."

I felt my face heat up.

"_Oh_," the blonde chick said in the exact tone I'd feared she'd say it in. "_Oh_, I see. Don't worry guys, if you're under twenty one, you usually get your record sponged." She whispered that last part conspiratorially.

I blinked and Iggy snickered behind me.

"Oh, no, you see, we witnessed a murder. We're testifying against the guy that did it. But he paid bail, so now we have to keep our bodyguard with us at all times. His name is Reginald." I smiled sweetly, and gestured to Fang.

He smirked at Blondie and gave her one of those cool, badass head nods he was so good at.

Dr. M just shook her head in disgrace, a perfect impersonation of Max.

Blondie blinked, turning red. "Oh. Oh, well, I'm sure we can find you something." She stuttered.

I just rolled my eyes and went over to the women's department.

It wasn't too much later, and I noticed a young male employee staring at me out of the corner of his eye. He was pretending to restock the racks, but I knew when someone was checking me out.

Oddly, it didn't make me feel good, like usual. It made me feel awkward.

So I used my natural defense. "Is there something in particular you wanted, or do you make it a habit to stare at all your customers?" I snapped.

About ten feet away, I say Iggy hold back a laugh.

The boy just grinned cockily, taking his time skimming the full length of my body now that he'd been caught. "Only the pretty ones."

Not coming up with anything particularly witty to say to that, I simply snubbed him, turning back to my rack browsing.

He continued to stare.

"What?" I finally turned to him exasperated.

"I catch a lot of dates, working here. I just can't seem to find that special someone. Wanna give me the chance to see if it's you?" He asked, slicker than oil.

_Gag me, someone_, I thought, and chanced a glance at Iggy.

He was furious, to say the least.

"No thanks. I _have_ met my special someone." I said smugly.

The boy-whose nametag read Ron- seemed unfazed. Instead, he smiled, scribbling something on a scrap piece of paper. "If it turns out you're wrong about him, give me a call." He invited.

Then he walked calmly away, oozing confidence even though I'd just rejected him.

I tore the paper up into tiny pieces when he wasn't looking, dropped them on the ground, and walked in the opposite direction.

"Here, try these. They look to be the right size." Blondie, ever the ninja, appeared at my side and smiled blindingly. She thrust some flimsy fabric in my hands.

Ummm……okay then.

I forced myself to smile at her, then turned towards the dressing rooms.

Suddenly, two hands popped out of one, covering my mouth and dragging me inside. I didn't even have time to yelp.

The door closed softly and locked with a small click. It took me four whole seconds to realize it was Iggy who had grabbed me.

"Sorry about that." I hurriedly breathed, instantly getting why he'd drug me in here.

Menacingly, almost, he backed me up against the dressing room wall. It was already a tight squeeze, so his chest was pressed up against mine.

I forced myself to breathe, reminding myself that this _was not _Riley.

And then his mouth was on mine.

I dropped the clothes in surprise and made a startled little sound. Iggy didn't stop; instead he put both his hands on either side of me and got even more persistent.

My mind flew backwards in time, to the first time he'd really kissed me, in the shower at that hotel.

I immediately understood he wasn't mad at me; he was relieved. I smiled against his lips, and put my arms around his shoulders. He grinned too, never letting my lips leave his, and moved his hands to my waist. Then he picked right back up where he'd left off.

I kissed him back eagerly, until he pushed his top lip between mine, forcing my all too willing mouth open.

And suddenly I was very grateful to the French.

He breathed out a laugh and leaned back, putting his forehead against mine. I knew he couldn't see me, but it felt like he could.

"I love you," he whispered.

My eyes widened in utter shock. He'd said it. He finally said it.

"I love-" I started to say, but then his lips were back on mine, cutting me off. I was a little miffed that I didn't get to finish, until his tongue was in my mouth again, and then all I felt was warm satisfaction and a tingling throughout my entire body.

"You. Too." I managed to pant when he pulled back again.

Where the hell had he learned to kiss like that?!

His thumbs rubbed small, content circles on my hipbones, making my knees go weak as he smirked.

"We need to stop now." I finally managed after I had caught my breath.

"Why?" He asked, bending to trial feather-light kisses up my throat.

_I should turn other guys down more often_, I thought dimly before answering.

"Because I'm pretty sure the only reason both Christian and Fang haven't burst in here with a flamethrower is because they don't actually _own_ a flamethrower." I snickered. Then I added, "and I need to try on these clothes."

This is the part in my fairy tale life (Snort. Yeah, right.) where Iggy kisses my hand gentlemanly and says, "Later then, love," and gracefully bows as he exits the dressing room.

Um, no.

Instead he kept kissing my throat, barely even really touching it, and therefore driving me crazy.

"Need any help?" He mumbled against my ear, then carefully bit down on the top.

I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep myself from whimpering in pleasure.

"I'll take that as a yes." He chuckled, and slid my tank top over my head in one slick movement.

I blinked in surprise at him.

"What a day to be a blind man," he sighed sadly.

I grinned devilishly, and purred something I'd been dying to say to him since, like, day one. "You can't see me with your eyes….but you can see me with your hands."

Oh, God, that sounded way more wrong said out loud than in my head.

Iggy just waggled his eyebrows. "In a dressing room, where everyone could hear you?"

"Hear me?! What do you mean, hear me? This is nothing more than an intense make out session, Iggy." I protested.

"Mack….you're half naked. This is no longer a make out session." He teased sternly, like a professor or something.

"You sound like a teacher," I mumbled stupidly.

Iggy grinned, stepping back close to me again. "Maybe I'll teach you a few things when we find a more suitable classroom."

I giggled. Having a sexist pig as a soul mate was fun.

I hurriedly dressed in what Blondie had given me; the bottom resembled a pencil skirt, except _several_ inches shorter in length with a split up the side. It was black, with dark indigo whirly things along the split. The top was a black tank, with a mesh, indigo short sleeved covering shawl thing.

Very slinky, yet also strongly sophisticated. Hmm. Blondie had good taste.

"I like it." I said to Iggy.

"It looks great," he joked, and I laughed then whacked him on the arm.

I stepped out of the dressing room, glancing around. Dr. M was on the opposite side of the store. I caught her eyes and waved her wildly over.

"Oh, Mack, that's perfect!" She approved. Iggy had smartly slipped out before she had noticed him with me.

"Is Christian done?" I asked.

"Everyone else is in the car." She nodded.

Oh. Hehe. Heh…

"Here, that nice helper girl, Kimberly, brought these. She thought they might look nice with the outfit." Ah, so Blondie was really Kimberly.

"These" were apparently shoes. Black, thin strapped, high heels. But they did go well…

"It's great," I nodded.

Kimberly checked us out. I smiled at her with more warmth and thanked her sincerely, which seemed to make her day.

Christian and Fang ignored Iggy and I the whole ride back to Dr. M's.

**Sigh. Don't you just love smut? **

**So…should Ron be evil? Kimberly **_**is not**_**. She's just someone who takes their job too seriously. **


	66. Abused Products

**I know I'm doing a lot of Mack's POV, but she is the main character in this fan fiction. It might be getting tiring but bear with me. **

**Mack's POV**

We ended up ordering pizza for dinner after putting our thousands of shopping bags away.

And now…well, now we were off doing our own things.

Fang and Max were holed up in some bedroom, pretending to be looking up things about psychics for me on the Internet, but really they were probably just making out.

The little kids were off doing something that had yet to be discovered.

Ella was instant messaging a friend. Christian was with Dr. M at Mr. Wendell's office, going over the case.

And Iggy and I were bored, just sitting there on the couch.

That is, until Max began shouting my name over and over.

"Mack! Mack, look!" She shrieked, coming down the steps at a breakneck pace.

Fang jumped the last three, carrying the laptop. My brother, the computer nerd.

"Yeah?" I asked warily.

"We found this really cool website. There's stuff about energy and vibes and visions and past lives and everything." Max gasped.

Iggy looked flabbergasted. "You were actually looking stuff up?"

Max looked at him blankly. "Yeah. What did you think we were doing?"

"Each other." Iggy muttered.

Max shoved him so hard he fell back several feet, cracking his head on the coffee table.

I ignored my soul mate's protests and scrolled through the information. "Oh, wow," I mumbled.

"The theory, Max." Fang reminded her.

I stared at her in confusion. "What theory?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, see, we think that when the whitecoats tampered with your genes that they…enhanced your powers." She explained.

"Enhanced." I repeated.

She nodded. "Yeah. So we wanted to try out a few psychic warm ups with you that this site mentions. If you want to."

"Yeah. Yeah, totally." I agreed.

The warm up we picked was simple; guess which card was drawn from a shuffled deck. It took us a few minutes to hunt up the cards, and Fang shuffled them.

"We should play strip poker." Iggy said.

"No," I protested absently as I scanned through more info about the warm up, "we shouldn't. I don't know how to play poker. I'd be naked in five minutes."

Iggy grinned. "Exactly."

Fang launched a pillow roughly at Iggy's face.

"Sexist pig," Max mumbled.

Then Fang held up a card with the back faced towards me and raised an eyebrow.

I closed my eyes.

I totally emptied my mind, listening only to that ancient, psychic part of me. And then I saw a playing card, clear as day, flash across the backs of my eyelids.

"Queen of Spades, red suit." I blurted.

"Whoa." Max breathed.

Every one I guessed after that, I guessed right.

Eventually, Fang ran out of cards.

"My girlfriend is such a creep," Iggy said, but he said it with pride. I grinned.

**Time Lapse! Still Mack's POV**

"Welcome to class, Ms. Mackenzie. Are you ready for your first lesson? My name is Professor Iggy." Iggy pulled me close as everyone else went upstairs for the night.

Fang glanced back over his shoulder, pausing on his trek up the stairs. "I'm coming back down here for a drink later," he warned.

Iggy chuckled darkly. I giggled, blushing.

He snarled wordlessly and disappeared up the steps.

"What's his deal?" Iggy muttered, kissing down my jaw and neck.

"He's just your general, protective big bro," I shrugged, tilting my head to give him more access. He made full use of it.

"I wanna do something," I said, suddenly inspired.

Iggy wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Not that!" I shrieked.

He chuckled. "Okay. What, then?"

I smiled softly. "I want to see you the way you see me."

He frowned.

I closed my eyes and reached out my hand. It was amazing, how odd it felt. I had no clue when my hand would come into contact with something. Poor Igs felt like this _all the time_.

Suddenly my hand brushed his hair and I stopped. I slid my hand down his head, to his ear. I traced it with one finger and felt him shiver. I grinned.

I traced every feature of his face, his neck, his chest through his tee shirt.

I leaned forward and my lips touched his…shoulder?

He laughed. "You're not very good at being blind."

I giggled. "So lead me."

He did. Instantly, my head was in his hands and I remembered that he couldn't see anything either and he still knew where every part of me was.

For some reason, I couldn't help but think all this was so incredibly sweet.

Jesus. I was becoming such a girl.

Me moved my head upwards and more centered. Instinctively I leaned in, my lips touching the side of his nose.

I smiled sheepishly.

"No, sweetheart, over here." He directed, and my insides melted.

This kiss was short and sweet and my lips trembled against his. Our breathing was loud in the otherwise silent room.

He smiled against my lips. "I am eternally grateful to whoever or whatever is in charge of my fate."

I pulled back, resisting the natural urge to open my eyes. "Really? It seems to me the entire flock has more than enough reason to be cursing them."

He stroked my short hair out of my face and I wondered how he knew it was there in the first place. "No. No, I'm not. They gave me you."

My closed eyes filled with tears. "Really?"

"Yeah. I don't have the gif that you do. But I can still sense that…that _bond_, you know?" I felt him nod.

He put his forehead against mine.

"I think I just felt myself swoon in a million different lives." I grinned, not even teasing.

He grinned too. "I'm just smooth like that."

And suddenly his lips were on mine with much more heat and passion.

Something pushed at the back of my mind…some memory from another life. I fought it back, wanting to stay in this moment. Only in this moment. This perfect moment in time between Mack and Iggy, Iggy and Mack.

No immediate danger. No annoying brothers. Just us.

No pressure to do anything but sit here and be with him. No awful temper like Riley's to worry about. It was heaven.

And then the memory forced itself out of my subconscious, and I couldn't stop it. Slowly, Mack drifted away, and I was someone else.

**I'm very, very tempted to stop right here. But I guess I won't. **

**Sadie's POV**

I blinked as I stepped into the dazzling lobby. I'd never been to a hotel as fine as this before, not even with my parents when they'd been alive.

I watched Tom, feeling awkward as he charmed the receptionist. She looked down her nose at me. Her eyes told me she knew what I was and despised me for it.

I bowed my head, ashamed.

"Come along, Sadie love," Tom instructed. I quickly fell into step beside him.

"Room 308, their finest." He grinned and inserted a key into a lock.

I gasped as the door swung open.

"Oh!" I breathed and nearly dropped my luggage.

A huge, four poster bed with the thickest pillows and blankets I'd ever seen was against the left wall. Luxurious carpets were on the hardwood floor. Satin curtains lined the back wall. French doors leading out to a balcony was behind them; I'd seen them from the street below.

"Oh, Mr. Tom, it's-" I couldn't manage to say more than that.

He gauged my expression cheerfully. "Well, come in. DO not simply stand there with your mouth agape."

I followed him in a daze and observed the other parts of the huge room. The sitting area with chairs, couches, and a fireplace. The door that led to an amazing bathroom with a tub the size of a pond.

Everything was so overwhelming.

I thought of poor Maxine, and the other girls, and the terrible places they had slept and probably would sleep in tonight. Intense guilt swept over me.

"Put your things in the wardrobe." Tom gestured to the large wooden wardrobe by the bed.

I did as I was bade.

"Now, darling, go take a relaxing bath while I send in some dress choices for you. Several friends of my father are meeting in the hotel restaurant tonight, and I'd be much obliged if you attended." Tom came up behind me as I clicked the wardrobe door shut.

I tensed a moment, expecting his touch. But I did not feel it. This startled me. Most of my customers required my services immediately. Surely I was not to be this man's mistress!

Pushing all thoughts away, I shyly smiled at him, before shutting the bathroom door except for a tiny crack. I always felt too boxed in, in a completely enclosed space.

I disrobed and slipped into hot, steaming water. I soaked a moment before washing myself thoroughly.

And then came in the maids with the dresses.

They were the most gorgeous things I'd ever seen, and I stared at them with wide eyes. In the end, I chose a dark emerald one that would match my eyes, that slipped off my shoulders into dyed green lace sleeves that would fan around my small wrists and gathered at the waist to make it look smaller.

One maid handed me a red silk robe to slip on, and I marveled at the softness. I had had no luxuries in so long….

Tom was sitting in an armchair, calmly sipping brandy, when I came out. I was a bit embarrassed to be seen with wet hair and in nothing but a robe, but then, I was this man's hired prostitute, so it didn't much matter what I looked like.

Tom's face, however, had an intense, almost angry look. His eyes saw into a far off land. I approached him cautiously.

"Mr. Tom…what is the matter?" I tried not to cringe when he turned calmly to look at me with that same odd expression. Perhaps he would strike me for prying, as other men had tried to do before I'd learned better…

I backed away several steps. I know he saw the fear in my eyes. He winced, standing as though it pained him to do so.

Then he straightened and swallowed hard, returning to his arrogant, pompous manner. But he avoided my eyes. "There are bruises on the inside of your legs." He stated casually.

I gasped, my face burning crimson. I was used to vulgarity, even outright ogling, but never before had I been spied upon.

"They are nothing," I said in a steely tone I'd learned from Maxine.

He swallowed again. "My father always taught me about business affairs. He said there must be a give and take within a company, a compromise of sorts. Or else, no one would truly profit. And that the abuse of a product was never to be tolerated. He thought a misused product was a sin akin to that of murder. It also greatly disturbs me to see something mistreated. I resolved never to do so myself. Do you understand?"

My mouth fell open. No man, certainly never a customer, had ever said that to me before.

"Yes, I understand." I managed to whisper.

"I'm glad, Sadie." He cleared his throat, then grinned at me. I felt the atmosphere lighten considerably.

"Let's see your choice of apparel, shall we?" He asked.

And I smiled for the first time in a long time.

**Mack's POV**

My eyes opened and I gasped. I was laying on my side, a very worried looking Iggy leaning over me.

"God, Mack, are you okay?! One minute you were kissing me, then you just collapsed." He choked.

I blinked slowly, allowing myself to absorb the new memory.

I was splayed across the floor, my head in Iggy's lap. Iggy who had also been Tom…

Ugh.

I needed an Advil.

"I'm fine, Igs. Just a random past life flashback." I said, clearing my throat.

"From the saloon?" He asked eagerly, helping me sit up.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"You wanna tell me about it?" He asked, trying to be respectful but obviously dying to know.

"Okay, but it's really not much to tell." I rubbed the back of my head.

"Tell me anyway." He commanded. I studied him a moment, trying to find the man Tom had been inside him.

"Well, it was the first day of our two week proposition. You checked us into this really nice hotel, and the receptionist was a total judgmental bitch. Then you spied on me in the bathroom when I was taking a bath and noticed the br-" I cut myself off.

Would Iggy be freaked?

"I spied on you?" He asked, obviously not sure how to feel about that.

"Uh huh," I said, maneuvering my body so that I was sitting next to him, leaning my head against his shoulder.

"Well, go on," he said, rubbing my thigh soothingly.

"You noticed the bruises on my…up…" I trailed off. What was the proper name for the very top of the thigh?

Iggy's fingers hand frozen on my leg; his face was stone.

Slowly, I moved his fingers up my leg, to the area where the bruises had been on another body, one over two hundred years old now.

"Here. They were here." I whispered.

Other than a slight reddening of Iggy's cheeks, there was no reaction.

"Iggy." I said softly.

I had to try again several times to get him to answer.

"Why is it," he asked, and his voice was pure poison, "why is it that in every life, no matter what, some _bastard_ is always hurting you?"

I blinked a few times. "Maybe it's because I'm weak."

"Mack, you're the strongest person I know." He snorted.

I frowned doubtfully, thinking of Max and Fang and the other flock members. "Well…maybe someone wants to test how strong I really am."

"Yeah. Maybe. So, what did I say when I noticed the bruises?" Iggy interlaced our fingers, squeezing my hand.

"You promised to never hurt me." I smiled.

He smiled too. "Good."

"You know, everyone seems to think you're nothing but a perverted court jester." I yawned. It really was late.

He just gave me an odd look, and I went on, "But as corny as this may sound, I think you have real potential to be the king."

As expected, Iggy threw back his head and laughed. "Did anyone ever tell you that you're crazy?" He asked.

"Yep," I confirmed.

"Well, if I have the potential to be king, I might as well go ahead and pronounce you queen," he decided.

And I felt all my lives swoon again.

**I love this, I really do. These kids needed some true bonding time instead of just random bursts of lust. Not that random bursts of lust don't rock, but still. **

**The next chapter is Mack waking up Monday morning. I'm skipping Sunday. Sorry. As everyone will remember, Monday is the day of the trial. **

**Review please!**


	67. Sorry For Tricking You

**I hate to do this…..**

**But this is just an Author's Note.**

**I need to inform you all of a decision I've had to make in reference to this story. **

**Okay, so the way things are going to go down in the next few chapters….. I can honestly say that I'm going to be making a sequel to this story. It's what makes the most sense. **

**What happens after the custody trial is a whole new adventure, of sorts, a brand new book in Mack's series of a life, if you will. I honestly can't think of a way to make it okay to include it in this story. **

**I will post the first chapter to the sequel the day I post the last chapter of Because of the Telepath. It's going to be called **_**Confidence Trick**_**, and I will be utterly heartbroken if the readers of this story don't go and read it. I just might hunt you all down. **

**Just kidding. **

**But seriously, I just wanted you all to know about that. Sorry for tricking you. I'd appreciate it if you left opinions or ideas for Confidence Trick in the reviews, and I'll be posting the newest chapter to Because of the Telepath shortly. **

**I love you all! **

**-sunshine2006578**


	68. I'll Go With You

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed and decided to keep reading this! Because of the Telepath isn't quite over yet….there's still some action yet to come! **

**Remember, this is the day of the trial, a Monday. **

**Mack's POV**

I woke up with both Gabe and Elina nestled into my stomach. Gabe was closest, his head resting against my shoulder. Elina was actually sprawled across him, her head resting on my chest just below his. One of my wings was thrown protectively across them.

Fear coiled in the pit of my stomach. Today was the day. I hadn't seen my father in weeks, and today I would have to face him. I might have to go back "home" with him. Temporarily, anyway. In the end, I'd just fly away to join the flock.

But what about Gabe and Elina? I knew Dad and Christina would never let him come back, him having asserted his 18-year-old independence. And the kids didn't have wings they could use to fly away.

My fingers skimmed over Gabe's wounded cheek. His face was so peaceful, so innocent during sleep. He would have to be strong today, the poor baby.

My whole body had begun to tremble.

Mind-numbing fright was seeping through me.

I glanced at the clock. Seven thirty-two am. Time to rock and roll.

"Gabe," I cooed, stroking his soft hair. He frowned in his sleep, not wanting to awaken, and looking suddenly like Fang.

I smiled softly. "Gabe, Angelina Jolie is here. She wants to know if you'll fly to Paris with her next weekend." Gabe was crazy about Angelina Jolie. Go figure.

His frown turned into a smile.

He opened his eyes blearily, and looked up at me. "Yeah, right. Oh, I forgot to tell you; Shaun White called last night and asked if you'd elope with him." I giggled and he chuckled.

Then his whole countess turned dark and foreboding. "Today's the big day, huh?"

"Yeah." I nodded.

"Do you think we'll win?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

How could I lie to him? "I don't know."

He sighed heavily, fingering my feathers absently.

"Time to wake Elina up?" He inquired after awhile.

"Yes." I said.

"Elly, wake up." He demanded, shaking her shoulder gently. She whimpered and buried her face in a pillow.

"I'll get a bucket of cold water." He threatened. She sat up immediately, screeching.

"Alright, kiddies, breakfast time!" I announced. I stood up and ruffled my feathers, allowing them to hang limply and trail along the ground as we went downstairs.

The rest of the house's occupants followed soon after that. Iggy cooked a huge breakfast.

I tried to keep everyone from noticing how hard my hand shook as I speared a piece of pancake; Christian did, though, and cast me a reassuring glance.

I thought of my father's cold dead eyes, and felt my heart plummet. Every instinct in me, both bird and human, was telling me to run. That danger was coming. I looked at Gabe's cheek and felt sick.

I grabbed for the open carton of orange juice and dropped it. Bright yellow liquid went everywhere, and instantly everyone scrambled to avoid it's sticky path.

"I'm sorry!" I squeaked, and ran for towels, trying to keep my tears from flowing over. I was such a train wreck. How could I expect Gabe and Elina to be strong if I couldn't?

"It's okay, sweetie, it was just an accident." Dr. M comforted me, mopping up the spill in no time.

_Accident_.

The word reverberated in my head. Was that what Dad's lawyer would call me today?

Suddenly a small, warm hand was put into my trembling cold one. Startled, I looked down to find it belonged to Angel, who was calmly munching on bacon.

Letting the psychic part of me take over, I tentatively reached out to sense her vibes… Serene calm. Tranquility.

Oh, sweet bliss!

Of course, distant vibes weren't enough to entirely extinguish my fears, but it got me through the rest of breakfast without another incident.

Gabe and Elina were both picking at their food. "Come on guys, eat up. I don't know when we're going to get lunch."

Elina gaped at me. "It's going to take _that long_?" She gasped in disbelief.

Christian, Dr. M, Ella, and I all exchanged glances.

I nodded slowly. "Yes, Elina. They have to hear both sides of the story."

She frowned. "They think we're lying?"

I blinked, trying quickly to think of some easy way to explain it. The younger kids of the flock were looking at me, too, also curious to learn.

"No, sweetie. You know how I told you the story of the three little pigs, and then we went to the library and I got the same story, but the wolf told it?" I tried. Surely she'd relate better the memory of a humorous picture book.

"Oh! So Mommy and Daddy is like the wolf, and we're the pigs?" She asked brightly.

"Uh, sure, I guess." I said uncertainly.

"Alright. Gabe, Elly, I want you guys in the shower _pronto_. Mackenzie, you wanna help me pack some Fun Bags?" Christian looked toward me. The kids started glumly up the steps.

"Sure," I said in a chipper tone, but the fear had returned.

I'd almost have rather been back in Itex.

Fun Bags were bags of goodies we'd taken when we were younger and required to accompany our father on business trips. Dr. M handed us two bags of recycled cloth that the CSM generally used, and Christian and I stuffed coloring books, crayons, candy, gum, apples and plums, bottled water, and Gabe's pain meds inside them.

And in the very bottom of both, in two hidden folds we made by hand, we slipped in about two hundred and fifty dollars in cash. Five hundred dollars in two cloth bags.

Just in case.

We shared a hard look as the upstairs shower clicked off.

"You take Elina, I'll deal with Gabe. Then you need a shower." Christian mumbled.

The flock was in the other half of the room, even Total, laying at Angel's feet. They were trying very hard to give us privacy as we packed and organized. I could tell they were eavesdropping though.

Suddenly, several of the horrible things my father had done to us ran through my head at once. I winced and hissed in air through my teeth, cringing back. As if physically running from the memories would help me to escape them.

Everyone but Fang pretended not to notice my moment of madness.

He stared at me as Christian disappeared up the steps. For just a second, I let my careful mask of calm slip to show him how truly terrified I was.

He blinked slowly, then motioned vaguely to the front door. I nodded eagerly and felt the flock's eyes on us as we got up and walked out.

The morning air was already warm, and it wasn't even eight. The beautiful sun rose up over the desert. Why was today so beautiful? This was one of those days where wind and rain and hailstones and loud claps of thunder was appropriate.

I heard Fang shut the door behind us. I didn't turn to look at him. He sighed a little, standing beside me. The way we leaned against the porch railing was identical.

"You remember the mall?" He finally asked. I blinked, shocked at this random beginning, but nodded.

"I hated you." He stated flatly. I felt my breath turn ragged. This _was not_ what I needed to hear.

The silence drug on a moment, then he said, "I hated you because you weren't Max. and then we got her back, and I couldn't hate you anymore. You'd attached yourself to me like a barnacle or something." Fang chuckled a bit without humor.

My body still shook, and out here, I allowed my tears to spill over. No one could see the, but Fang, after all. I wasn't sobbing-yet-but it was close enough.

"I can't do this. I thought I could, but I can't. I'm pathetic and weak, and I'm more scared than I've ever been in my entire life." I blurted and threw my arms around him, just to have something to hang onto.

His arms were crossed over his chest-the same position I found mine to be constantly in, whether I was aware of the fact or not.

My drama coach had once said that a person who crossed their arms was in a self-comforting position, used to alleviate nervous tension. We were never allowed to cross our arms onstage-unless our character called for it- because that showed a lack of confidence in our acting ability. Apparently, men could also cross their arms to show arrogance. So maybe Fang was making himself feel better _and_ trying to act macho in tough situations.

That's why I was shocked when very slowly, his arms came out from between our chests to hold me.

I could practically _taste_ the awkward vibes he was sending out. But I found even those comforting; he was my full-blood brother, he wore my favorite color constantly, and he smelled good today.

Slowly he began to relax. Though my terror did not fade, my tears stopped. He softly stroked my hair and my wings. His strong, olive toned arms made my pale ones look even paler.

"You're not weak," he said gruffly, "and you'll be fine today."

I swallowed hard, hiding my face against his collar bone. "I'm not scared of him, you know. I'm scared of what he can do to us. What he's already done."

Fang said nothing at first. Then, "I'll come with you, if you want."

I jerked my head away from his shoulder to meet his dark eyes. Would he really?

"Are you sure?" I asked. A brutal court battle was not the best place to see your father for the first time.

"You're my sister. Those are my half-siblings. You guys need me, I'm there." He shrugged nonchalantly.

I took a deep breath. If one of the flock members were there, I might be able to do this. I could handle the outcome, because either way, I'd be fine. I'd be leaving with the flock, regardless. I might not even have to go all the way home if we lost.

"Okay. Thanks." I whispered. He nodded, stepping away, instantly re-crossing his arms.

I opened the front door, and headed upstairs.

**Cruddy ending, I know, but I wanted to get your all's feedback on this conversation. More Fax will eventually happen, especially in the sequel, but you're gonna have to bear with me. This is a **_**custody trial**_**. Not exactly the best place for romance. **


	69. What's A Special Tater?

**Thanks so much to everyone that continues to read and review! **

**Mack's POV**

Elina was in Ella's room. She'd already put her good clothes on, and they looked great. Her hair was still dripping wet, however, and her leggings were way too low.

She smiled nervously as I came in. I could hear Gabe and Christian arguing one room over about whether or not Gabe needed to wear a tie.

"Hey, sweetie. You look great." I smiled warmly at her, then got down on my knees to roll up the black leggings to the middle of her thigh. The black poodle's eye stared at me vacantly from the middle of her chest as I stood.

"Bend over so I can dry your hair off," I said, and she did.

"Can you put it in the turban thing like you do yours?" She asked.

"Of course," I grinned. I gathered her sopping wet hair in a towel and twisted.

She popped back up, looking like the pale version of a little Arab girl. I hadn't even been sure her hair would go up in a towel like that. Like mine, hers was chopped short, skimming the very tops of her shoulders. But where mine was razorish, with a punk edge to it, hers was smooth and girly.

She smiled widely at me. "Can I look?"

I laughed. "Sure." I steered her towards Ella's florr length mirror.

"Cool!" She cheered. I laughed.

"Alright. Now bend over again so I can take it out." I ordered. She did so without hesitation, and I scrubbed her hair until it was only damp, then blow dried it.

"Here, Mack. I thought this would go well with the dress. It's one of Ella's old ones." Dr. M poked her head in. She was holding a big black bow in her hand.

"That's great! Thanks!" I nodded and smiled at her.

How could a woman that just met us be so accepting of us?

I took my time curling Elina's hair, keeping my hand steady. I freeze-sprayed it too, so much so that when she turned her head, the curls barely moved. Then I clipped the bow into the right side.

I smiled. "You're good to go. Run downstairs and ask Dr. M for your Fun Bag." I instructed.

"Okay." She agreed happily, skipping out of the room. I glanced at Ella's bumblebee shaped clock; 8:43.

Uh oh. We only had until nine thirty to be out the door. Mr. Wendell wanted us at the courthouse by ten.

I rushed through every part of my shower except shaving. The skimpy yet classy pencil skirt _did_ show a lot of bare leg, you know.

I dressed in a hurry, throwing ona black strapless bra; thank God for tank tops with this Arizona heat. I could feel it coming in through the open window as I blow dried my hair into a rocker-ish style. I decied to pile on the eye makeup today too; that was what had always annoyed my parental unit's the most about my looks.

Dark grey eye shadow, thick mascara, thicker eyeliner, all waterproof……my outfit….shoes! I needed shoes!

I buckled the last strap on the high heels, then grabbed my ipod; Mr. Wendell had copied the files from my journal and returned it.

Just in case, I slipped a pair of barely-there shorts on under my skirt. It would be just like Itex to attack me during the most important trial ever.

Suddenly I thought of Catherine, my past life persona. I hadn't been this mind numbingly frightened at my own witchcraft trial.

_Please, let the ruling be in my favor this time around,_ I thought desperately.

Fang waited for me at the bottom of the steps, dressed in his usual black tee shirt and dark wash jeans. He gave my hand an inconspicuous squeeze. I smiled nervously at him.

Christian glanced at me as he shepherded Gabe and Elina out the door, Fun Bags in hand. He raised an eyebrow. "Rebel to the end, huh?" He knew that Dad and Christina hated my makeup.

Ignoring everyone's questioning glances, I said, "Damn straight," and was proud my voice didn't shake.

Christian barked a laugh. "Alright then, let's get going."

I nodded and subconsciously tucked my wings in tighter. Iggy hugged me quickly, whispering good luck. I pressed a quick kiss to his jaw.

Fang hugged Max too, and she whispered something, but I couldn't hear what it was. Then he grabbed my hand again and led me towards the van.

***Scary, dooming music plays.***

**Time Lapse! Mack's POV**

I was dimly aware of Christian saying something through the roar of Linkin Park's "In the End."

I'd been mindlessly lost in the beat and lyrics and drums and guitars and every other instrument the whole ride. My head was tilted back, resting comfortably on the seat.

My brain had temporarily shut itself down. All it processed now was the blaring music coming out of my headphones. My heart rate was still way too high, though, even for a bird kid.

I ignored the fear as Three Days Grace's "Riot" came on. I was _so_ glad I'd made a play list entitled **For Stress**.

Someone's finger prodded my sides. I felt my mouth twitch downwards in a frown.

Quite suddenly, my headphones were wripped of my ears.

My head jerked up and a feral snarl wripped through me. No one, ever, _ever_ messed with my music.

"Chill. Christian's trying to talk to you." Fang muttered, handing my headphones back to me.

Pissed off now, I shut my ipod off and practically threw it in Elina's Fun Bag for safe storage.

"What?" I snapped at Christian. Hey, anger wasn't called a mask emotion for nothing. Inside, I was practically having a stroke. The courthouse was now in view.

My oldest half brother winced, and I reminded myself to take it easy on him. I wasn't the only one freaking out here.

"I was just telling Elina and Gabe some ground rules." He said warily. Dr. M cast me a worried look from the driver's seat.

I sighed. "Let's hear them."

"Don't go anywhere alone; you know how they used to corner us. And no matter what they say, try your absolute best to keep your head about you. Rememer, they're going to try to get under our skin. We've seen Dad's lawyer, Phil, in action before. He's ruthless, but he has very few actual case points." Christian rambled.

"So I can't be a smart ass? How disappointing." I pouted mockingly.

Christian held back a snort. "Sure you can, just be sure to get your timing right. And watch your language, please. This _is_ a court room."

"You're the boss." I said, and gave him a little salute.

Christian turned to look at Gabe and Elina. "Remember, guys, Phil is going to try to make you feel badly about leaving Mom and Dad. He might even act super nice. Just don't fall for it, okay?"

Dr. M gasped. "They're putting those two on the stand?"

Christian grimaced. "Yeah."

Barely audible next to me, Fang growled. I gave him a wary look as we rounded the corner and entered the courthose parking lot.

My mouth fell open.

_Tons_ of cameras and news reporters were on the lawn. News vans and anchors littered the property. Even a few newspaper reporters were there.

Fang blinked. "Did our trial get bumped for OJ's?"

Gabe and Elina were plastered to the window, wide eyed. Dr. M took a hand off the wheel to cover her mouth.

Wordlessly, Christian pointed. And there, standing side by side and looking devastated, were Dad and Christina.

"Oh shit!" I screeched so loudly Dr. M slammed the van to a complete stop.

"Oh, shit, shit, shit!" I kept screeching. I threw my seatbelt off and hopped onto the seat divider between Christian and Dr. M.

"I'm gonna throw up. Oh, God, I'm gonna puke!" I yelled in utter disbelief as my stomach lurched.

"I can't believe they went public! They got the whole freaking media out here!" Christian then proceeded to say several expletives. I absently tucked a few new ones into the back of my mind for future use.

"What's going on? Why are Mommy and Daddy talking to that man with the big camera?" Elina asked. Fang had his eyes trianed on our father and I realized this was the first time he'd ever seen him.

"_Why_ did they go public? And why all the interest. You're not famous." Dr. M muttered, mystified.

"Dad knows how to make a scene. He's gonna try to sway public opinion, maybe even incoming jury members. Plus, he's pretty important national defense wise; he's high up in Homeland Security." Christian explained.

A horn of yet another news van caused us all to jump; well, except Fang. Dr. M quickly pulled into the spot farthest from the cameras asa possible.

"Why didn't you mention this? We could've gotten a court order for the media to stay away." Dr. M asked quietly.

"We didn't think he'd actually go public! Dad likes his privacy." I moaned, burying my face in my hands. Thank God for water proof makeup- I would probably have to resort to tears.

"Calm down. Think, think, think, Mack." I whispered to myself.

And suddenly I had it.

"This isn't an utter disastor." I said, raising my head back up.

Christian looked at me similar to the way he had when he found out I had wings.

"We could turn their own publicity against them." I stated.

Gabe frowned. "How?"

"Even if we lose, we could force them to drag us out kicking and screaming." I said venomously.

"Good idea!" Elina smiled, and we high fived.

Dr. M gave us a weird look. "Or you could wait for your lawyer's instructions."

I blinked happily. "Oh, yeah. We hired him to handle stuff like this, didn't we?"

Fang began rubbing my shoulders like he did for Max when she was stressed, and I focused on not vomiting.

"Here comes Mr. Wendell." Dr. M announced. Instantly, cameras turned and flashed, people screamed questions at him.

"Mr. Wendell, do you understand what's happening here?" Christian asked when Mr. Wendell reached the van.

The chubby man nodded. "I do. We've cleared a way for you to enter through the back."

"Great!" Dr. M beamed at him and he blushed. She drove the way he was pointing.

Dad and Christina stared as we drove past them, the fake devastation gone, only anger and contempt in their eyes.

Gabe made a small noise, suddenly looking very young and terrified, and fingered his injured jaw. Elina grabbed at his hand, and instead of pulling away like he usually did, he clutched at her hand tighter.

Fang looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't.

Christian and I shared a grim look.

The back of the courthouse was surrounded by three buildings, so it made a very large courtyard sort of thing. It was closed off from the parking lot, so no cameras could catch a snapshot of us back here.

"You ready?" Christian asked as we all clambored out.

I clenched my fists and put up a poker face. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Mr. Wendell was waiting by the back door. "Nice to see you kids again. You all look very nice. Everyone eat breakfast? Good, good." He fussed, looking all of us over.

He froze when he got to Fang. "Ah. Who's this?"

"I'm Nick, sir. Nicholas….Ride. Moral support." Fang stuck out his hand with authority. Mr. Wendell shook it.

Dr. M cleared her throat to keep from giggling about his last name. I shared a secret smile with her.

"I see. Nice to meet you, Nick. You'll make a good piece of evidence in yourself that these are well-adjusted kids, what with already having a friend and all." Mr. Wendell nodded his approval and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

"Kids, you want him in our box, or as a spectator?" He asked, turning to us.

"Box?" Gabe questioned.

"What's a special tater?" Elina asked, wrinkling her nose.

Mr. Wendell chuckled. "The box is the area we'll sit in during the trial. A _spectator_, Elina, is someone that's sort of like an audience." He explained.

"Oh." Both kids said at once.

"The box, please," I said quickly.

Mr. Wendell nodded. "Good choice. You'll have enough spectators as it is."

I gasped. "They're letting the media _in_?"

Our lawyer nodded again. "Yes. It's unconstitutional to keep them out."

I moaned as we began navigating the hallways. Several large doors lined them. Eventually we reached our door. I glanced over at Fang; he'd been memorizing our route, jus tin case we had to make a quick exit.

Good ole' bro.

**So, how was it? I know a few terms I used might not be used in actual court, like "box" and "spectator" but it was what fitted best and made the most sense to me personally. **

**This trial, contrary to popular belief, is not going to be boring in the least. There are going to be several twists and turns…… **

**Review?**


	70. Gassy Sat On the Remote

**Mack's POV**Mr. Wendell opened the door.

The courtroom was very large. Half of it was taken up by spectator chairs, all of which were filled by the media, who instantly began shouting at us and taking pictures and filming.

The jury stands lined the right wall. On the left side was a bunch of windows. On the left side was Dad and Christina's box. Phil the lawyer stood with them. He looked like an aged model. Tall, muscular build, mid-forty's. beside him sat Christina; her long, dyed brunette hair was tied up in an elegant ponytail, and she wore excessive jewelry.

Dad was next to her. He had a black suit on, with a white shirt and a blue tie. His brown hair was combed for once.

About ten feet in front of and in between our boxes stood the high judge's podium. Next to it was also a raised, but not as high, podium that a witness would sit on.

"Our trial begins at ten thirty. You guys okay?" Mr. Wendell asked.

Fang just stared at him, but the rest of us mustered up the best smiles we could.

Dr. M sat in the second of our two rows in the box, Gabe and Elina beside her. She held each of their hands. I was wedged on the first row between Christian and Fang, with Mr. Wendell perched beside Christian.

The bailiff/cop person was leaning against the judge's podium, looking tough and bored.

I'd begun to shake again. If I hadn't already been sitting, I might've collapsed. Fang soothed me silently by tracing soft patterns on my pale skin with his rough thumb.

The room began spinning as the judge and jury entered. I'd never been so terrified in my entire life. My heart had never beat this fast.

"You all may sit," The judge waved his hand dismissively. Everyone sat.

Then he said, "Would the defendants please rise?"

"Is that us?" I whispered to Christian, feeling like an idiot.

"No, we're the plaintiffs. We're first, so be ready." He whispered back.

I gulped.

"Mr. and Mrs. Nicardi, your eighteen year old son is suing you for the custody of your other two children, minors Gabriel and Elina, and the Mr.'s other child, Mackenzie. Is that correct?"

The judge had a very loud speaking voice, and apparently his name was Judge Cays.

Christina let out a muffled sob. The media behind us ate it up; cameras flashed multiple times.

Judge Cays grunted as he shuffled through his papers.

He was an old man of around sixty. His robes were billowy over his skinny frame. He wasn't very intimidating, to say the least.

"Alright, plaintiff, present your case." He called out. I noticed a shrewd woman of maybe 45 scribbling wildly. The court reporter. How lovely.

Mr. Wendell stood up and exited our box.

"Ladies and gentleman of the jury," he began. I tracked him nervously with my eyes as he began casually strolling back and forth along the jury stands. "Last Fridays, four days ago, a very dear friend of mine, Doctor Valencia Martinez, contacted me very early in the morning. She told me she had several young people that needed my help, and asked if I could possibly see them that day."

I listened with interest. I hadn't heard this side of the story. "naturally," Mr. Wendell said with a slight smile, "I said 'Of course, bring them over any time.' And she did, that very day. On that Friday, four scraggly kids accompanied by Dr. Martinez, stepped through my office door. And I thought to myself, 'Now, what would a few kids like that have going on that they would need to take legal action against?' Well, folks, I'm not going to lie to you. Their story is pretty appalling." Mr. Wendell paused a moment, grimacing to himself.

Then he turned to Judge Cays. "I'd like to call Mr. Christian Nicardi to the stand, please, Your Honor."

Christian stiffened beside me. "You can do it," I whispered, kissing his cheek. As I did, I heard a camera snap. Eh, oh well.

Christian walked slowly to the stand, and was sworn in. Vaguely I wondered what it would matter to an atheist, swearing on a Bible.

"Can I call you Christian, son?" Mr. Wendell asked, facing away from us now to look at Christian. He nodded.

"Thank you. So tell these fine people what happened that day, Christian. When I invited you into my office, and asked what I could do for you, you said what?" Mr. Wendell questioned.

Christian didn't fidget or squirm in nervousness, and I was proud.

"Well, sir, I believe you asked us what our troubles were. I decided to give it to you bluntly, and I said, 'Yesterday I turned 18. The day before that my father broke my brother's jaw.'" Christian answered.

A buzz went through the whole courtroom. More cameras flashed. My father and Christina looked beyond ticked.

"Order! Order!" Judge Cays called, then told Mr. Wendell to continue his questioning.

"Thank you, Your Honor." Mr. Wendell said, and I was beginning to wonder why everyone had to suck up to this guy. He was human, just like the rest of us.

I smiled wryly to myself. Just like _some_ of us.

"So Christian, what makes you think you're capable of taking care of three young people at such a young age yourself?"

Christian didn't even hesitate. "I've always took care of them. We ate what I managed to scrounge up, as our parents rarely went grocery shopping. Anything extra they might need for school or their own personal use I provided out of my own money. I worked for a few years at a Dairy Queen, see." He smiled, glancing over at me. I winked at him. We both knew where the real cash flow had come from.

"I see. What did your parents do for a living?" Mr. Wendell asked.

"Well, my mom's a big fan of eBay," he began.

"Ah! That reminds me, dear boy. Your Honor, I'd like to submit a piece of evidence, labeled 1A." Mr. Wendell sounded absolutely delighted with himself.

I frowned in curiosity. What trick did he have up his sleeve?

"These," here he pulled a thick stack of papers from his briefcase, "are printouts from . I was online, looking for a few things for my daughter's bedroom; Christian had given me his mother's username. Out of curiosity, I typed it in, and lo and behold, all kinds of merchandise popped up. I'd therefore like to call Gabriel Nicardi to the stand, please, Your Honor."

Christian hopped down at the judge's consent, giving Gabe a high five and a hug as he passed.

"Good job," I whispered as he sat down. I could feel his whole body shaking, so I took his hand in mine.

Gabe was sworn in, looking somewhat frightened but stoic.

"Atta boy," I heard Fang mutter and smiled at him.

"Can I call you Gabe, young man?" Mr. Wendell asked kindly after Gabe was sworn in.

"Of course. That's what everyone else calls me." Gabe nodded.

"Wonderful. So Gabe, tell me: did you ever go into Mackenzie's room back home?" Mr. Wendell asked.

Gabe hesitated. "She didn't have a room until a year ago, when her mom died and she came to live with us. Her room had just been a spare." He glanced apologetically at me.

_You're fine_, I mouthed, _keep going_. He smiled.

"Oh, really? Did she use the spare room when she came to visit?" Mr. Wendell asked politely.

"No," Gabe shook his head, "Mom always got mad when she asked to use it. She said it was too nice and she'd mess it up. So Mom just gave her a bunch of pillows and blankets and she made a bed on the living room floor."

Gabe seemed to be getting more and more uncomfortable now.

Fang hissed in anger beside me. I hushed him.

"I see. So when Mackenzie moved in with you and got the spare room, what did your parents do?"

Gabe hesitated again, looking at me.

We never discussed that first week.

I took a deep, ragged breath and nodded.

Gabe's eyes flickered back to Mr. Wendell. "See…that first week…we never talk about it. Ever. Mackenzie was in a lot of pain. She really loved her mom."

"Objection! This is irrelevant!" Phil shouted, breaking the silence.

"I assure you, Your Honor, it isn't. Please allow the boy to continue." Mr. Wendell pled.

"Overruled," Judge Cays flicked his wrist idly.

Phil sat down again, furious.

"Please, Gabe, just tell everyone what happened when Mackenzie moved in," Mr. Wendell requested.

I tried very hard not to wince.

"That first week was horrible. She didn't eat or anything. She was just sort of dead. She didn't want to play Monopoly anymore, or hide-n-seek, or anything! I don't even think she slept. Just laid there on her pallet thing in the floor, staring off into space. I heard Mom and Dad talking. They said the doctors said she had severe depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, whatever that is. They had told Dad to take her to a shrink, but Dad said he wouldn't pay some old crack-head to listen to Mackenzie's bellyaching." Gabe blurted.

Fang had gone absolutely still beside me.

I wished fervently for the ground to open and swallow me up.

"So Mackenzie needed to see another doctor, and your father refused to help her?" Mr. Wendell clarified.

Gabe nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay. Now, Gabe, when did your mom let Mackenzie move into the spare room?" He asked.

"Um, after the first week, she sorta came alive little by little, and by the third week, Mom had let her move in there. But she'd made her pack up all the stuff and told her to buy her own furniture." Gabe said. "She did a lot of odd jobs for the neighbors and saved money for months."

"Is this the furniture Mackenzie worked so hard to get?" Mr. Wendell showed the printed pages to Gabe.

"Yeah!" Gabe explained, eyes wide.

"And this is your mother's eBay account name?" He asked, pointing to something we couldn't see on one of the pages.

"Uh huh." Gabe confirmed.

The buzz of voices broke out again. Judge Cays had to bang his gavel several times. To get everyone quiet.

"Thanks, Gabe. No more questions for you." Mr. Wendell smiled fondly.

Gabe whooped-causing everyone, even the judge to laugh-and got down off the stand.

"I'd like to call Elina Nicardi to the stand, please." Mr. Wendell said.

Elina looked terrified. I smiled reassuringly at her. "It'll be just like Twenty Questions." I told her.

She relaxed a little at that.

Elina slowly got up and climbed the steps to the witness stand. My poor baby….I moaned a little.

"Hi there Elina. I like your dress. Did Christian get it for you?" Mr. Wendell asked, smiling.

"Yes, thank you. He got a job with Dr. Martinez to become a vet!" She replied excitedly. Some of the women in the room "Awwwe'd". That was my baby!

Mr. Wendell seemed to hesitate, and I felt my stomach drop. He was gonna grill her.

"Elina, when you do something wrong, what does your Daddy do?"

Elina went pale and looked at us frantically.

My heart kept up it's breakneck pace.

Christina mewed pathetically and Elina glanced at her. Her eyes got big and wide and hurt a moment, then they hardened in anger.

"He hits us!" She spat.

I exchanged worried looks with Christian.

"Where does he hit you?" Mr. Wendell asked.

"Anywhere," she shrugged.

Mr. Wendell grimaced at her matter-of-fact demeanor. "Does he hit you only with his hand?"

Elina scowled, as if he should already know the answer to that. "No. He uses belts a lot. Tree branches too."

I held back tears.

Murmurs arose, but this time Judge Cays was too engrossed in Elly's pathetic plight to hush them.

"Did you see him hurt Gabe's jaw? Can you tell us what happened?" Mr. Wendell asked.

Elina's eyes went wide again. "No, I can't! He said he'd spank me like he did Gabe if I told!"

I sucked in a breath and whirled around to glare at my sperm donor. He'd threatened to _hurt her_?!

"I promise you, Elina, your daddy won't spank you. Please just tell us what he did to Gabe." Mr. Wendell said seriously.

She looked at him distrustfully. "Okay, if you say so."

I smiled at her, and she gave me a tiny smile back.

"Okay, so," she began. "Daddy was away on business, right? We always loved it when he was away on business because that meant we'd be all alone and no one could get hurt. Christian was a really great caretaker. Sometimes I pretended he was my Daddy and Mackenzie was my Mommy. Anyway, Gabe hadn't cleaned his room yet, and his friend called, so he talked to him. We didn't know Daddy would be home early. So he walked through the front door and we were really scared because Gabe hadn't cleaned yet, but he was still talking on the phone. So Daddy got really mad and started shouting at Gabe and calling him bad words, and Christian too, for not making him clean. And then he started hitting Gabe with his belt and Christian told me to go upstairs, but I was frozen like a Popsicle. Then when Gabe started trying to wiggle away, Daddy shoved him against the wall real hard to hold him still, and we all heard this big loud crack. Gabe's face was all crooked, and Mommy started screaming, and so we all got in the car to go to the hospital. Daddy told us to tell everyone we'd been playing baseball, and that he was accidentally hit with a bat. But I was confused, because we don't have a baseball _or_ a bat, so I told Daddy that, and he got mad and told me to shut up. So I did." Elina was panting by the end of all that.

The whole room sat in stunned silence.

Mr. Wendell blinked a few times. "I would like to call a recess, Your Honor."

"Granted. A fifteen minute recess, after which we will resume with the plaintiff's case." Judge Cays banged his gavel.

Elina hopped down. I could see Christina practically sprinting to get to her, but I was closest and she ran straight into my arms.

"Did I do good, did I, did I? That was _not_ like Twenty Questions _at all_." She gasped, still panting.

"You did great! I'm so proud of you, El!" I squealed hugging her tight.

"You guys want a soda? There's a vending machine around the corner." Fang offered, and I noticed he was holding Gabe's hand.

"Okay!" Both he and Elina squealed.

"Don't let them out of your sight," I warned my brother, handing Elina over.

"Of course I won't," Fang scoffed, and off they went.

Mr. Wendell entered our box, sitting down wearily. He took a long drink of water, then looked at me.

"Mack, you're up next. Your testimony will probably be longest and most important. Probably also the most gruesome, because I've seen your writing, and man, can you add detail!" He informed me.

I felt myself go pale.

He frowned. "Hey now, none of that."

"Hey, you wanna call the flock? Let them know what's going on?" Christian asked, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and turning it on.

"Who?" Mr. Wendell frowned.

"Our group of friends. Inside joke," I said quickly, grabbing the phone. I punched in the number; it rang a few times and then Angel picked up.

"Hello?" She asked sweetly.

"Hey Angel! We have a fifteen minute break, just thought I'd call and let you know what's going on." I said.

"Guys, Mack's on the phone!" Angel called.

Several whoops and pairs of running feet could be heard.

"Okay, you're on speaker now." Angel informed me.

"Hey guys!" I called. They all greeted me.

"Pretty much everyone on our side has testified but me. I'm up next." I said, biting my lip.

"How many objections have they made?" Max asked.

"One, I think. I don't remember." I sighed.

"Cough up the five bucks, Gasman," I heard Total say and sighed again. Leave it to the flock to bet on this.

I glanced at the stretching news people. "Actually, you guys can probably watch it."

Stunned silence, and then the blaring of the TV.

"OMG, we can! I can see you, Mack! How weird is that? I wish I was on television." Nudge gasped.

"Lovely." I muttered.

"Where's your dad and step mom?" Ella asked.

I glanced up. "They're over by the windows. Dad's the one in the black suit. Phil, their lawyer, is in grey. And Christina is dressed like a stripper at a fancy schmancy dinner party."

Mr. Wendell laughed, then cleared his throat, obviously deciding it wasn't professional of him.

"We see them. Fang doesn't look much like him." Max observed.

"Yeah, well," I began to say. Suddenly, a huge boom reverberated through the phone.

Horrified silence, and then Angel was yelling, "We're okay! It was just a tiny bomb Iggy and Gassy built in the backyard. Gassy accidentally sat on the remote."

"I'm going to _KILL YOU_!" I heard Max shrieking.

"Love ya Mack, gotta go!" Iggy yelped, and the line went dead.

I looked at Dr. M as I handed the phone back to Christian.

"I hope you weren't particularly fond of any certain part of your yard," I said sincerely.

Her eyes widened, but she said nothing.

Fang returned with the kids. They were both grinning. Gabe had orange Fanta, Elina strawberry Hi-C.

"Court shall resume in two minutes!" The bailiff called.

"You ready?" Mr. Wendell asked.

"To throw up? Yeah." I muttered. He just chuckled and patted me on the back.

Christian hugged me as we all took our original seats. Moments later, court resumed.

"Plaintiff, please rise and call your next witness." Judge Cays called.

"Yes, Your Honor," Mr. Wendell went back towards the jury stands. "I call Mackenzie Nicardi to the stand."

"It's not so bad," Gabe whispered as I passed. I managed to give him a small smile.

Then I climbed into the stand and swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

**Uuugggghhh. I have **_**blisters**_**. Please, please review. The next chapter is in Fang's POV!**

**Two, maybe three more chapters, and I'm out of the fifth notebook on this story!!! So all in all, there's a good five, six, seven chapters left and I begin the sequel!! Yay. I'm excited. The sequel, in my personal opinion, is better than this one. **


	71. Safety First

**Fang's POV**

You couldn't even tell she was nervous. She faced the crowd boldly, as if daring it to intimidate her. Never once did she look toward our father's box.

"You prefer Mack, correct?" Mr. Wendell asked.

"Yes, sir." She smiled sweetly. Christian snickered.

"Alright. You are not Christina's child, are you?" Uh oh. This was going to be a tear jerker.

"That's correct. My father had an affair with my mother. _Safety first_ was never my father's motto." She winked, and the media ate it up.

The jury members laughed uncomfortably.

I let my mouth twitch.

"I see. Did you always visit your father?" Mr. Wendell asked.

Was it just me, or did that dude look like that one man from Daddy Day Care?

"No. He didn't see me much until I was an older child. He didn't help my mother out financially, either."

"Okay. How were you treated when you visited?" Mr. Wendell asked.

"Ignored mostly. The kids and I got along great, but I guess I was always viewed as a mistake to the adults." Mack shrugged bitterly.

"Were you always close to your siblings?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, totally. Gabe and Elina are really loveable kids. Christian and I are close too, but in a different way. I respect him like I would an adult. Probably because he always took care of us."

Mr. Wendell nodded, as if this was to be expected. "Tell me about your father's early disciplinary habits."

"At first, we were left to our own devices. Then he began hitting the boys, but not me. He threatened, but never followed through. I tried not to let it bug me. Kids get hit all the time, you know? But after awhile, I noticed their movements had become…limited." She looked up at Mr. Wendell, biting her lip.

"Continue," he prodded.

"Well, they would favor one side over the other, or wear loose clothes. Once, Christian wore a hoodie in the middle of summer to hide the bruises on his arms. That's when I realized it wasn't right." She went on.

"Did you tell your mother?" He asked.

"No. She was working three jobs and trying to finish school. She had enough to worry about." Mack said quietly.

"I see. When did he start hitting you?" Mr. Wendell asked.

"When I was seven." She said in a clipped tone.

"Did anyone else ever notice the bruises?"

"Yeah, teachers. They sent notes home, but Dad and Christina threw them out." Mack nodded.

Mr. Wendell opened his briefcase. "These notes?"

And he pulled more than twenty slips of crumpled paper out.

The crowd began whispering and gasping.

"I would like to submit evidence piece 1B, Your Honor." Mr. Wendell called.

Judge Cays accepted them.

"Now Mack, let's talk about the journal you kept. You love to write, correct?" Mr. Wendell smiled gently.

"Yes." She nodded enthusiastically.

"The journal you kept of your experiences with your father….well, quite frankly, it's extraordinary. The tone you use when speaking of certain individuals, the details you add in…what prompted you to write this?"

"At first, it was just something to keep me sane. Then I thought that someday, like today, it might come in handy." Mack said.

"Let me guess; Evidence 1C?" Judge Cays called.

"Yes please, Your Honor." Man, was I getting tired of hearing that old fart getting fawned over.

Mack went on to discuss the verbal and emotional abuse, the neglect, slander against her-er, our-mother, dangerous situations due to lack of supervision, and how Christian had taken care of them all.

I was beginning to think I'd had it better at the School.

"I see. Thank you, Mack, that's all for now." Mr. Wendell finally said.

He patted her back as she walked back to us, her heels clicking on the wooden floor.

Her legs were shaking.

She fumbled with the latch on our box a few moments, then made her way in. I grabbed her up in a hug, not caring I was supposedly an emotionless brick wall.

Cameras flashed. Ew. This time tomorrow, there would be rumors of me being her newest fling or something.

Talk about incest.

But her body was trembling against mine, and that's all I cared about.

"Shhh. You did fine," I whispered.

She slipped into the non existent space between Christian and I, laying her head on his shoulder. Dr. M reached into Gabe's Fun Bag and tossed her some chips. She gave her a grateful glance.

"Would the defendant please state their case?" Judge Cays called out.

Mr. Wendell slowly walked back toward us.

And Phil the lawyer stood up.

**This was short, I know. But the corkscrew plot twist comes up in the next chapter….hehehe. **


	72. I'm Here To Testify

**Wow! Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed and told me that my story rocks. You guys make this worth the many bandages on my sore little fingers! **

**Mack's POV**

"Ladies and gentleman of the jury," Phil began and I resisted the urge to snarl, "I have been the lawyer and personal friend of Mr. and Mrs. Nicardi for years. In doing so, I was invited over for barbeques and Christmas dinners. I've bonded with each of these children."

"Yeah," I snorted, "if the definition of bonding is going to fetch another beer."

Mr. Wendell glanced at me a moment, then went back to scribbling notes.

"They were always well behaved and polite. They never seemed scared or intimidated by their parents." He continued.

"Because we knew they wouldn't do anything to us with company around!" Gabe shouted, and then slapped both hands over his mouth and squeaked out something that sounded like, "Sorry."

Phil rolled his eyes. "Therefore, I'd like to call Mr. Nicardi to the stand."

All of us abused gasped. No way. Dad _never_ testified at his own trials.

"What is it?" Mr. Wendell asked.

"Dad never testifies. Ever. He always pleads the fifth." I breathed, keeping my eyes trained on my father as he was sworn in.

Oh, God…

"He's been to trial before?" Mr. Wendell asked.

Christian nodded. "He was accused once of stealing Homeland Security funds. We know he did, because we took a huge vacation to Myrtle Beach right after. But no one could prove it. All evidence was circumstantial."

Mr. Wendell blinked. "I see. Did Mack accompany you on that particular excursion?"

"No and they didn't offer," I snapped as Phil began again.

"So, Mr. Nicardi, tell me: how did you and your wife meet?" He asked.

"In college. She was studying to become a teacher." Dad answered.

"Did she?" Phil asked.

"Yes. We married, and she worked for awhile, but when Christian was conceived she quit to take care of him." Dad said, staring blankly ahead. It was like he was saying badly delivered lines.

"So you're both successful, well-educated people? And you alone can provide steady financial support?" Ah. That's where Phil was going with this.

"Yes, sir." My father nodded.

"Now, tell me about the affair, and the way you and your wife handled it." The courtroom immediately became so quiet, you could've heard a centipede inch across the floor.

My father blinked once. "I was on yet another business trip. My colleagues invited me to a little get together, and I accepted. A few students from a private school nearby were in attendance, and alcohol became a factor. An hour of stupidity gave me a lifetime of regrets."

My fear was replaced by a pure, ripping pain. I couldn't breathe past it, couldn't think. _A lifetime of regrets_.

"You'd never seen the girl before in your life?" Phil asked.

I knew my father would lie. He'd say no, which was untrue because Fang was here. Fang stiffened beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

I almost fell out of my chair when Dad told the truth. "I had, actually; there had been an incident before with the same girl. Ten or so months before, to be exact. I suppose we both still felt a bit of…tension." My father glanced apologetically towards a tight-lipped Christina.

"I see. Tell me, please, about the result of the second occasion." Phil pressed.

A result. Nice. That was a new one.

"The girl became pregnant. When her school found out, they pressed for statutory rape charges. I surprisingly did not serve jail time, but I did pay a hefty fine." Dad's voice was blank, emotionless.

"Your wife's reaction?" Phil asked.

"We went to marriage counseling for six months. Although she wasn't pleased about the affair, she said she'd support me in any decision made about the fate of the child. I pressed Marlene for abortion. She declined, obviously." Dad gestured toward me, but didn't look at me.

I felt my eyes fill with tears.

"You pressed for abortion only in the best interest of the child, of course?" Phil asked.

Anger licked its way through my veins as my father nodded. "Of course. A teenage, Italian mother was obviously not a good option. Besides, the result of the first occasion was a still born."

I was gasping and shaking. Anger, pain, fear-it was all too much. How dare he insult my mother's parenting capabilities?!

"And from this stems the belief that a young person is not a suitable parental figure?" Phil just wouldn't stop, would he?

"Yes." Dad nodded.

I was shaking and sobbing and I just couldn't stop.

"Come on. Come with me." Dr. M began tugging on my arm suddenly. I stumbled to my feet, not caring that all the cameras suddenly swung to film me.

Dr. M half-carried me out of the courtroom. The tiled hallway was cool and empty. Heaven. My legs shook so hard they were practically vibrating.

"Shhh, sweetie, shhh." Dr. M comforted, stroking my hair. She sat down right there on the floor, then tugged on me gently. I collapsed into her lap.

"Poor Mack…yes, shhh." She cooed as I sobbed. It felt good to be held by maternal arms again.

"I'm s-s-sorry." I stuttered, beginning those terrible, harsh hiccups you get when you cry too hard.

"Don't be! That was terrible, what he said." She protested.

"B-b-but Gabe and E-E-Elina…" I trailed off as my entire torso jerked with the force of another hiccup.

"They'll understand." She whispered. Then she laughed. "Good thing that makeup is quality waterproof, huh?"

I giggled, then hiccupped again. "Yeah."

She held me until I could breathe somewhat normally again, and my body had stopped its violent trembling. The hiccups, it seemed, were uncontrollable.

"Thank you. For everything." I said as we stood up. I smoothed my skirt and dried my cheeks.

"You're beyond welcome." She smiled.

"Excuse me? Does anyone know where the Nicardi trial is located?" I glanced up to see a man in his late thirties, with huge glasses, a white coat, and a manila folder. His blue eyes were kind, and his curly black hair was already receding.

"Uh, yeah. Why?" I asked, instantly wary of him because of his white coat.

"I'm Dr. Marks. I treated Gabriel Nicardi for his broken jaw at the hospital." He introduced himself, holding his hand out.

I blinked in shock. "Really? Oh, wow! I'm his sister, Mackenzie. Call me Mack, please." I took his hand, shaking it firmly. Why were doctors' hands always cold?

"It's very nice to meet you, Mack. And this is?" He turned a dazzling white smile on Dr. M.

"I'm Dr. Valencia Martinez. The kids stayed with me while the case was being put together." They shook hands too.

"Wonderful. I'm sorry I'm late. Mr. Wendell invited me here today to testify in the cross-examination piece of the trial." He explained.

"Oh! Okay, well, it's right through here." I directed, and the three of us walked back through the door together.

Christina was on the stand now, sobbing something along the lines of: "I've always been a good mother, I didn't mean to screw up so royally, please come home, and I'll try harder."

Call someone who cares, sweetheart.

I glanced at the jury. They didn't seem to be buying it either.

"Thank you, Your Honor, no more questions." Phil said after a minute or two. He'd never been one for witnesses.

"A fifteen minute recess is in order, I believe. Then we'll pick up with the cross-examination." Judge Cays banged his gavel.

Dr. Marks introduced himself to everyone. Gabe was actually a little excited to see him again.

We all sat there in the box in comfortable silence a little while.

"Hey there, Mackenzie." A voice I never wanted to hear again greeted. My heart almost stopped beating. Hadn't I been through enough for one day?!

I glanced up…

To see my worst nightmare smiling down on me.

"Riley!" I yelped, hopping to me feet and backing up to the opposite end of the box. Everyone but Mr. Wendell and Dr. Marks gasped. Fang snarled, placing himself in front of me protectively.

Riley just smirked. He hadn't changed much; long black hair, taunting green eyes, devastating womanizer looks.

"You look good. Really." He said, appraising what he could of me with Fang in the way.

I glared at him. "What are you doing here, Riley?"

Since the first time since I'd met him, he looked sheepish. "I'm here to testify."

**Hehe. I would **_**pay**_** to see the looks on your faces right now. Didn't see that one coming, did you? I told you this trial was interesting. Review please!**


	73. Evidence 1D

**Mack's POV**

"Testify?" I gasped, my mind reeling.

"Yeah. I saw the trial on the news. When I moved, I went to Southern Cali. It wasn't a very far drive." He shrugged, and suddenly the sheepish look was gone. His usual cocky mask replaced it.

I was dimly aware of Dr. M on the phone, talking urgently with someone. I glared at Riley suspiciously. "Why would you help me? Help us?"

There was that mischievous spark in his eye that I'd originally loved and come to hate. "Just for old time's sake."

"Maybe you guys should take this somewhere else," Christian glanced pointedly at Gabe and Elina.

"Right." I agreed, quickly leaving the box. Fang was right beside me.

"Who's this?" Riley asked, gesturing towards Fang.

I blinked.

"I'm Nick," Fang's voice was low and dangerous.

Riley raised an eyebrow at the tone. "You never were good at keeping secrets, Mackenzie." That translated to: _I know you told him what I did to you. You shouldn't have. _

"You never were good at kissing," I hissed back. Anger flared in Riley's eyes, and I held back a wince.

Then he snorted. "You were, however, good at comebacks."

I just raised both eyebrows. Fang's presence behind me gave me strength.

The hallway was empty, thank God. We only had eight minutes or so left of the recess.

"It always did tick me off your dad treated you that way," Riley said casually, staring out a window.

I gaped at him. "Why?! You did the same, if not worse."

He sighed. "I guess it was one of those, _No one picks on you but me_, sort of things."

Fang made a menacing noise.

Suddenly, I heard feet running down the hallway. All three of us whirled at once.

Max, Iggy, and Angel came zipping around the corner. My mouth dropped open. I thought I sensed shocked vibes coming from Fang, but it was hard to tell.

"What are you guys doing here?" I gasped.

Riley watched this with amusement. "Really, Mackenzie? You called in reinforcements against me? You used to be better than that."

"What-" I began again, but Max cut me off.

"Mom called. Said this creep showed up." She gestured to Riley vaguely.

Riley, meanwhile, had been checking her out. This didn't escape Fang's notice. He threw an arm around her shoulders, tucking her into his side and kissing her jaw.

She smiled. "Miss me?"

"Mm." Fang nodded.

"Can I go see Elina and Gabe?" Angel asked suddenly.

_Where's Nudge?_ I thought to her.

_She stayed behind with Ella. She can't fly, and Max wanted to get to you fast, but she didn't want to leave Ella totally unprotected. _Angel explained.

"Yeah, they're right through that door." I nodded, smiling and giving her a little wink. She skipped off.

"What? You babysitting for cash now? That's disappointing. You used to be a good fighter." Riley glanced at me.

"No. That's my little sister's best friend. And I'm still a good fighter." No need for technicalities.

The smirk was back. "I bet you still aren't better than me."

Iggy growled out, "I know _I _am."

Riley actually looked startled a minute. Then he grinned and began circling Iggy like a predator.

"Three minutes," Fang said quietly. I nodded.

Riley kept circling. Iggy held perfectly still.

"Him? Really?" Riley asked, sounding simply curious.

"Yeah." I said simply.

Riley made a calculating face, and finally turned to face me. "Not too bad."

I snarled. "I don't need your approval, Riley."

He grimaced. "No. What you need is my testimony. You know as well as I do that you told me everything. Got pretty annoying too: _Oh, Riley, he's always hurting me!_" His voice slid up a few octaves to imitate mine.

I put a hand on Iggy's arm to keep him from decking Riley square in the nose.

Not that I wouldn't enjoy it.

"What's your price?" I demanded. Riley always had a price.

He began to look uncomfortable, and my curiosity was spiked. Riley was rarely uncomfortable. "Well?" I asked.

"There's a fighting ring in Baja. They'll let me in, but I have to fight with a partner the first time." Ah, typical Riley.

I didn't give it a second thought. "Done."

Riley grinned.

Iggy practically exploded. "What?! Mack, no. You promised, no more street fighting."

"I never promised anything. Besides," I said, looking at Max, "we're headed there anyway, right?"

She gave one tight nod.

"Thanks, bitch. I would say I owe you one, but like I said, I'm testifying for ya." Riley and I shook hands. I tried not to flinch.

"Don't call her that," Fang muttered.

"It's a term of endearment," Riley and I said at the same time.

Awkward.

"Recess is over." Fang announced, and this time we all crammed into the tiny box.

More introductions were made as Judge Cays banged his gavel. "Let us commence with cross-examinations." He said.

Mr. Wendell went back up. "I would like to call Dr. Jacob Marks to the stand."

Dr. Marks was sworn in.

"Dr. Marks, what is your specialty?" Mr. Wendell asked pleasantly.

"Broken bones, sir I work at General Hospital in Mr. Nicardi's hometown." Dr. Marks said.

"I see. So you treated Gabriel for his broken jaw?" Mr. Wendell was an angel. A genius of an angel.

"Yes, I did." Dr. Marks confirmed.

"Over the phone, you mentioned you found something odd about his break. What was it?" Mr. Wendell went on.

Dr. Marks fidgeted a bit. "As I said before, my specialty is broken bones. When Gabriel and his family explained how he'd broken his jaw…well, it didn't seem right. You see, Gabriel's jaw was broke at the top. It was really more like the end of his cheekbone. And it was clean. Generally, when a baseball bat comes into contact with _any_ bone, it shatters or crunches the bone. It's very messy."

"Is there any way possible, in your professional opinion, doctor, that Gabe's jaw could've been broken by a baseball bat?" Mr. Wendell asked, clearly self satisfied.

Dr. Marks hesitated a moment, then shook his head. "No. No, it was much too clean. It was almost as if he'd been slammed into something hard and flat…like a wall."

Mr. Wendell's smile was smug.

"Ladies and gentleman of the jury, please remember that Dr. Marks was _not_ present for Elina's statement that Gabe was indeed slammed into a wall. Even medical evidence, reviewed by an unbiased witness, backs up her story." He declared loudly.

More buzzing voices and the banging of the gavel.

I took a deep breath.

"Defendant, do you have any questions for this witness?" Judge Cays called to Phil.

Phil hesitated, then shook his head. "No, Your Honor."

Judge Cays just grunted.

"Your Honor, Dr. Marks has brought Gabe's X-rays with him, and one of another young man's baseball bat accident to compare it to. I'd like to submit it as evidence 1D." Mr. Wendell said.

"Eh, why not?" Judge Cays grumbled, accepting the manila folder Dr. Marks had been holding.

Then he turned back to Mr. Wendell. "Your next witness, then."

"Riley Berkley to the stand, please."

**Oh, wow, this is going by really fast. I might be able to finish the story off today. Key word being **_**might**_**. Review??**


	74. Liar, Liar, Pants On Fire

**Mack's POV**

Riley met my eyes and winked. How could he be so calm?

"So, Riley," Mr. Wendell started after he'd been sworn in. "You know Mackenzie well?"

Riley smirked and I squeezed my eyes shut. "Yeah, definitely."

Iggy growled a little behind me. I tried my best to pretend I didn't exist.

"When and where did you two meet?" Mr. Wendell asked pleasantly.

"The park, actually, a few weeks after she'd moved in with her dad." Okay, technically we _had_ met in a park.

"And you two became close?"

I opened my eyes to see Riley smirk. "Yeah. _Real_ close."

"Did she ever talk to you about her home life?" Mr. Wendell asked.

Riley was a good actor, so I knew the way he was nervously fidgeting and playing with his fingers was purposeful. "Not at first, no. she got real touchy whenever someone brought it up, so I left it alone for awhile."

"What prompted you to ask again?" Mr. Wendell asked.

"We were over at my house, playing on the Wii. I noticed she had a tough time shifting weight to her left side. She wouldn't tell me what was wrong until I threatened to go ask Christian. And then she got this real freaked look on her face and told me I couldn't tell anyone about what she was going to show me. And she pulled up the side of her shirt a bit. There was a green, purple, mottled bruise on her side." Riley shifted to stare accusingly at Dad.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire," I breathed under my breath.

"Did she say what had made the bruise?"

Riley hesitated just the right amount of time. "Not exactly. In the end, I guessed what had happened. She'd mentioned that her dad was less than caring."

"After you figured it out, what happened then?" Mr. Wendell asked.

Riley laughed without humor. "You're kidding, right? She totally flipped. I was lucky my Dad was out back grilling steaks, the way she was screaming and carrying on. She said a lot of things she probably didn't mean, then begged me not to turn her parents in, because not only would her dad kill her, but she and her siblings would be split up in foster care."

"So she was definitely intimidated by her father?"

Riley snorted. "Understatement of the century there, Mr. Wendell."

Mr. Wendell smiled, looking very tired. "Thank you, Riley."

"Any questions for this witness, defendants?" Judge Cays asked.

"Yes, Your Honor," Phil nodded.

I narrowed my eyes. What was he doing?

"So…Riley, is it?" Phil asked casually.

Riley nodded stiffly. "Yeah."

"You say that Mackenzie and yourself were close. How close?" He asked.

"Shit." I breathed, prolonging my blink.

Fang's calloused fingers wrapped around mine.

"Very, very good friends." Riley hedged.

_With benefits_, I added mentally.

"Nothing more?" Phil pressed.

"Eventually, we became more, yeah." Riley nodded.

"Irrelevance!" Mr. Wendell called out.

Judge Cays' eyes flitted from him, then over to Phil. "Overruled," he said slowly.

"Thank you, Your Honor. So, Riley, Mr. Nicardi tells me that Mackenzie's dating history before you was very brief; no boy lasted more than a few weeks. He fears even now that you lasted so long because…well, because you were having inappropriate relations. Were you?" Phil asked.

Riley's eyes flashed in anger and I felt my face heat up.

Without even thinking, I stood up. "So my father has been calling me a whore? That's your big case point, Phil?"

Everyone-the jury, the media, the judge, everyone-turned to stare at me. Surprisingly Judge Cays let my outburst slide.

"No, Mackenzie, of course not. But didn't Christian encourage your relationships? How could he possibly ensure age-appropriate actions without parental supervision?" Phil tsked.

I turned to look out at the jury. "Are you people hearing this? His big defense, against physical, emotional, and mental abuse, neglect, and torture is my _sexual activity._"

The jury all turned as one to stare accusingly at Phil. It would've been comical had it not been so serious.

"I never did anything more than kiss her cheek, if that helps prove anything." Riley threw in.

Judge Cays blinked several times, eyes wide. Then he turned to the jurors. "Are you ready to make a decision, jurors?"

My breath hitched. Oh, God, this was it.

Hesitantly, the head juror nodded. "Yes, Your Honor."

"Then this trial shall resume when a decision is made." Judge Cays nodded and banged his gavel.

Everyone in our box waited until we were the only ones left in the courtroom.

I stood up with Christian. He lifted Elina onto his shoulders. Gabe came over and leaned heavily into my side. "Now what?"

"Now we wait," I sighed, kissing his hair.

"I'm so proud of you guys. you're doing really well." Dr. M smiled warmly at us.

"Yeah yeah yeah, this is a great Kodak moment and all, but I think Mackenzie needs to blow off some steam." Riley said, rolling his eyes.

I took a deep breath, making sure Mr. Wendell had left for the bathroom. "You are _so_ going to hell. You swore on the Bible to tell the truth, after all."

We both knew I was just kidding. Neither of us believed in heaven or hell.

Riley played along, though. "I'm going anyway, babe. Might as well make it worth my while."

I bit my lip, and glanced at Christian. Hesitantly, he nodded.

"Alright. Alright, yeah. I could blow off some steam." I nodded.

"Mack…"Iggy began, then stopped.

His sightless blue eyes pleaded with me not to do this.

I looked away guiltily and turned to Dr. M. "Could you take the kids out for some lunch? I bet they're hungry."

Dr. M looked worried. "Yes, I suppose so. Meet us in an hour." It was a demand, not a request, I noticed.

"Of course I will. Be good, guys." I said, kissing both Elina and Gabe on the forehead. I high-fived Angel.

Then they, Dr. M, and Christian were gone.

"Sooo…" Riley said, picking at some lint on his tight fitting tee shirt. "There's a public pool a few blocks away not open for the summer yet."

"Okay. Let me get changed." I nodded.

Max followed me to the bathroom. "Changed? Into what?"

I didn't say anything, just peeled my mesh, indigo colored top off to reveal my black tank. Then I slipped out of my skirt, glad I'd put the shorts on underneath.

"You're going to kick his ass into next week while wearing high heels?" She asked, eyebrows raised.

I snorted. "No. Switch me shoes."

Max studied me a moment, then sighed heavily. "The things I do for you kids."

A few minutes later, and our group was walking down the street.

"When was the last time you fought?" Riley asked.

I pursed my lips. I supposed fighting Roids counted. "Around a week."

Riley made no comment.

I smirked. "When was the last time _you_ fought?"

Riley just smiled.

After hopping over a tall, wooden privacy fence, Riley and I faced each other on a very big grassy area. I took a deep breath and rolled my shoulders.

Fang, Iggy, and Max seated themselves on a nearby bench.

"Ground rules?" I asked.

"No breaking bones, or cracking them or whatever. You always were fond of doing that. I need a good partner and a whole body to get into this ring." He said instantly. I gave him one tight nod.

Then Riley sneered meanly, switching gears. "How far have you and what's-his-name over there gotten?"

I blinked serenely. "Far enough."

"Now, now," Riley said in a reproachful tone, "you're not having _inappropriate relations_ are you?"

I felt the anger build in me, but said nothing. This was Riley's main fighting strategy; he got in your head, got you hot and bothered and distracted.

He smirked at my lack of response. "So you are. How do we compare?"

"I wouldn't know. After all, you never did anything more than kiss my cheek, right?" I snapped coldly.

Riley smiled his _dangerous_ smile. "If that's the story you wanna stick to."

Again, I said nothing, merely analyzed his body to make sure he wouldn't suddenly lunge at me.

Riley's eyes grew frustrated after a moment, then flitted to Max. He smiled again. "Your new friend is hot by the way. Maybe she could give me what _you_ never would."

Before I could spit my particularly nasty retort, Iggy cut in. "And yet she gives it to _me _four times a _night_. Wonder why that is?"

I bit my lip hard and focused on keeping a straight face.

Fang, apparently, was having a difficult time deciding who he wanted to kill first; Iggy or Riley.

Riley just snorted and turn back around to face me again. "I'd take you back, you know. I play a pretty good Romeo."

I snorted. "Oh, please do. Because in the end, you'd drink poison."

"But you'd stab yourself." He pointed out.

"And I'd see you in hell." I snarled, letting my fist fly forward without warning.

It connected with his jaw. He grabbed my wrist calmly and twisted my arm harshly.

I hissed, and he growled.

I brought my left hand up and shoved his elbow into his chin, yanking my arm free. He stumbled backwards, and I waited in a protective crouch for his next move.

I could see the annoyance in his eyes; he wanted an easy win.

We evaluated each other for a long time, keeping Max, Iggy, and Fang on the edge of their seats.

Finally, rile swung, his fist aiming for my temple. I ducked and kicked at his kneecap. He missed the top of my head by half an inch, but my foot connected and he toppled over sideways.

I caught him by the neck before he could hit the ground and got in a cheap shot to his ribs.

"What the frig, Mackenzie?" He grumbled and used all his weight to force himself forwards, making me fall backwards and hit the ground.

I knew as he straddled me that he'd go for my cheekbone, blinding me with pain as he struck my ribs. So as his hand came down, I twist my face, and he ended up getting the side of my head. I slammed my hand up roughly into his crotch, and he let out an "Oof," as his leg came up instinctively.

I rolled out from under his and kicked the place where his jaw met his ear.

He lay flat on his back, panting heavily.

I knew that Riley was actually a much better fighter, a much meaner one. But this was, after all, a mock trial. He only wanted to feel me out.

"Okay, okay." He panted. I studied him a moment to make sure he was really done, breathing heavily and sweating myself.

This stupid heat was going to kill me.

When I was sure, I lay on my back beside him. Fang was smirking, Max looked unimpressed, and Iggy looked relieved.

"Not bad. Of course, if we'd _really _been going at it, I would've kicked your ass." Riley nodded his approval.

"Of course," I nodded dryly, because that was what he wanted to hear.

I closed my eyes against the blinding sun, and everything was quiet a moment.

"Feel better?" Riley asked softly after awhile, his fingers trailing up my leg.

"Much, actually," I nodded and shook him off.

I did feel better; more sure of myself, less terrified.

"You ready to go get some lunch?" Max asked.

"Yes! I'm starving." I enthused.

**Crappy chapter ending, but oh well. We're almost done, kids! Review to make me type faster, haha. **


	75. Because of You

**Okay everyone. This is it. Remember: the first chapter to the sequel, **_**Confidence Trick**_**, will be posted tonight. **

**Please, please remember to suggest this story to friends or reviewers of your own. Just because it's complete doesn't mean I want everyone to stop reading it. **

**Iggy's POV**

It didn't take long to find Mack's siblings, Dr. M, Mr. Wendell, and Angel. They were all at the local McDonalds. I could hear Angel and Elina giggling as soon as we opened the door.

Mack had put her skirt an shirt back on, and given Max back her shoes. Max was ecstatic.

I couldn't believe she was actually going to go through with helping the bastard who's hurt her. Personally, all I wanted to do was beat him unidentifiable.

All us bird kids ordered ridiculous portions of food. We tried our best to ignore Riley, who'd tagged along uninvited.

"Jesus. Used to be you never ate. Making up for lost meals?" Riley muttered to Mack.

"Yep." She said cheerfully.

"Mr. Wendell, no matter the outcome, I just wanted you to know that we're all very grateful for what you've done." Mack said as we all pulled up chairs.

"You all are the best people I've ever had the pleasure of working with. The toughest, too." He complimented.

We ate in relative normalcy after that.

Until I heard plastic vibrating on the hard surface of the table.

"Hello?" Mr. Wendell greeted, so I assumed the cell phone belonged to him.

I heard his slight gasp. "Already?"

A few seconds and then, "Yeah, okay. Thanks. We'll be there soon."

"Come on, everyone, we've gotta go." He said urgently.

"Why?" Angel asked.

"The jury has made their decision." Mr. Wendell's voice was grave.

"Already?!" Mack squeaked. I rubbed her forearm soothingly.

Before we knew it, we were back in the bog courtroom that echoed and made my head ache.

The judge banged his gavel-another thing that made my head hurt-and said, "Alright, jury, let's hear your verdict."

Mack stopped breathing beside me.

"This jury has decided that the custody of minors Elina, Gabriel, and Mackenzie Nicardi unanimously goes to Christian Nicardi." Said a man's voice.

A beat, and then it finally sunk in.

Mack and her siblings had won.

**Mack's POV**

"…unanimously goes to Christian Nicardi."

The words kept ringing in my ears. We had done it. We were free. All of the abuse and neglect, all the anger and hurting and hatred was behind us.

"Oh, my God," I managed, and buried my face in my hands.

"We did it," Christian breathed, looking like he'd just been hit upside the head with something heavy.

Elina looked at Dr. M, her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "Huh?"

"You won! You get to stay with Christian!" Dr. M beamed.

Elina's eyes went wide.

Gabe let out a wordless whoop of victory and began a victory dance right there in the box. I jumped up and joined him, happiness spreading through my body and soul.

The jury and media grinned and laughed at our joy; the judge rolled his eyes, said something I couldn't hear past the roaring in my ears, then banged his gavel.

It was official.

A woman handed some papers to Mr. Wendell, who handed them to Christian. I noticed the signatures of Darren and Christina Nicardi were already on there.

It took awhile for everyone to leave. The media stuck around a long time, taking so many pictures of us four Nicardis that my cheeks ached from smiling so much. But eventually, everyone cleared out, even Riley, with explicit instructions to contact him as soon as I got to Baja.

Dr. M took Elina, Gabe, Angel, Max, Iggy, and Fang to her car to wait. So it was just me, Christian, and Mr. Wendell. On the opposite side of the room was Phil, Christina, and Dad.

"Keep in touch, kids." Mr. Wendell instructed after hugging each of us.

"You'll get tired of us." Christian grinned.

Mr. Wendell smiled warmly, kissed my forehead shyly, and left.

I looked at Christian warily as Dad, Christina, and Phil made their way to us. We both took a deep breath.

"Good work, kid. You put up a tough fight. I can respect that. Darren, Christina, I'll meet you at the motel." Phil shook Christian's hand, nodded at me, and left in a rush.

"I'm going…to miss….you….all…..so much!" Christina sobbed, throwing herself on Christian.

He patted her back awkwardly.

Her eyes said to me what her mouth did not: _Besides you_.

"Take care of yourself." Christian said, prying her off. She sniffled and ran off dramatically for the restroom.

Dad held out his hand. Christian shook it. Their eyes met. Something deep and odd passed between the two. A transfer of power.

Then my father, for the first time ever, _looked _at me. Really, truly saw me. No blank, I-see-through-you stare.

"I have something for you." He said.

_A brand new boot for my ass?_ I thought dryly.

But I followed him out the door, through the hallways, to his rented van. Not the smartest thing I'd ever done, but not the stupidest either.

He popped open the back storage compartment.

There were maybe ten large cardboard boxes in there. I looked at him questioningly.

"Your mother's stuff. Yearbooks, photos, home movies, clothes, ultrasounds of you and….the other one." Dad shrugged.

I felt my mouth fall open. "And you're just _now_ giving me all this?"

He said nothing.

In the end, he helped me carry the boxes to Dr. M's van. Everyone seemed curious as to what was in them, but didn't ask.

When we got back to Dr. M's house, I took Angel by the hand and led her to the only private place in the crowded house-the bathroom.

"What is it?" She asked curiously.

I bent down until I was on her eye level. "Thank you, Angel."

She blinked.

"It was because of you that any of this ever happened. Because of you that I found myself again. Because of you that I met my brother and my soul mate. That I got wings and learned how to fly. That I embraced my psychic gifts instead of feared them. That my siblings and I are free from hell. Thank you." I said and crushed her to me.

She seemed startled at first, then smiled and hugged me back.

"You're special, Mack. And this is where you're supposed to be." She whispered.

I didn't know what was going to happen tomorrow, or the day after that, or the day after that…although I'm sure I could make a few predictions if I really tried. But in this moment, as I held a six-excuse me, seven year old- telepath in my arms, for the first time in a long time, I knew what it was like to feel whole.

**Oh wow, if I wasn't posting a sequel, I'd be sobbing. I've grown so attached to these characters it's not even funny. **

**I am posting the first chapter of Confidence Trick tonight. Don't forget to go read it! Who cares tomorrow is a school day? **

**Haha. **

**I'd like to thank everyone who has ever reviewed right now: you guys are the best, and are what kept me writing this. I'm still in shock that you love it this much. I'm ecstatic that you gave this story a chance and fell in love with Mack. **


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